WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Shane Van Gisbergen claimed his fourth NASCAR Cup Series road-course victory of the season Sunday afternoon and second win of more than 10 seconds on the field … and he made it look effortless.
The 36-year-old New Zealander led a race-best 38 of 90 laps – including the final 17 – at the historic Watkins Glen International circuit in picturesque upstate New York, his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet officially crossing the finish line by 11.116 seconds ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell.
Van Gisbergen, a former Australian SuperCars Series multi-time champion, joins racing legend Dan Gurney in scoring his first five career NASCAR Cup Series victories on road courses, and he did it the same weekend as his Trackhouse team announced his multiyear contract extension.
“Good to get that one back,” said Van Gisbergen, in a nod to finishing runner-up in this race last year. “What an awesome race. Coming back through (the field after his final pit stop) I had lot of fun. The car was just amazing again. Another win. Awesome.
“It’s the stuff you dream about right?” a smiling Van Gisbergen acknowledged of the important weekend. “I’m just a very lucky guy to get to drive for an amazing bunch of people and just execute. The day just went flawlessly and I really enjoyed it. Thank you everyone.”
Van Gisbergen, in his first full-time season at NASCAR’s elite level, has been essentially unstoppable on the road courses. His four victories on the year – also at Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma – gives him the rookie win record and he now ties perennial championship contender Denny Hamlin for most victories in the series this year.
For all intents and purposes, when it comes to this style of racing, his competition judges itself on how close it can come to him.
“I’m thrilled [today] because we’ve been struggling a little bit to find our rhythm,” said Bell, who passed Chris Buescher on the final lap to claim the runner-up position. “The cars have been good. Really awesome to have a good day, but frustrated to get our butts kicked by the 88 car doing such a great job. That team has really got it going on.”
The third-place finish for Chris Buescher, who edged Van Gisbergen for the win at Watkins Glen in 2024, still registered as a good day as far as his championship chances are concerned. The driver of the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford holds onto the final playoff position — by 34 points over RFK teammate Ryan Preece — among the 16 drivers currently eligible for the playoff field.
Two regular-season races now remain — at Richmond (Va.) Raceway next weekend and the Aug. 23 finale at Daytona International Speedway.
“Had a fast race car again and definitely took the opportunity to capitalize on some stage points early,” said Buescher, who collected 10 important points in winning Stage 1. “Still got back into second [place] there and was making some pretty good headway but just got used up really hard getting by a couple cars to get track position and it fell off pretty hard there at the end.”
Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron, the Regular Season Championship leader, finished fourth in the No. 24 Chevrolet. That showing — coupled with his teammate Chase Elliott’s 26th-place finish — extended Byron’s lead in the points standings to 42 over Elliott. This marks the first time this season Elliott has finished outside the top 20.
MORE: Cup Series standings
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe finished fifth in the No. 19 JGR Toyota, making a last-lap pass on race pole-sitter, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney. Van Gisbergen’s teammate Daniel Suárez was seventh, followed by 23XI Racing teammates Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. Trackhouse’s Ross Chastain rounded out the top 10.
Thirteen drivers have automatic playoff bids by virtue of a regular-season win. Reddick, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman and Buescher round out the 16 drivers provisionally eligible for the playoffs on the basis of points.
Preece and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch (-102 points) are just below the cutoff line. A new race winner at the Richmond short track or the Daytona Beach superspeedway, however, could drastically alter the playoff picture.
Kyle Larson, a two-time Watkins Glen winner, was knocked from contention early after a Lap 6 spin in the 90-degree first turn. Larson said his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was plagued by a brake issue, and the car went to the Cup Series garage for repairs. Larson finished last in the 39-car field, 15 laps down.
The Cup Series’ next race is the Cook Out 400, scheduled Saturday night at Richmond Raceway (7:30 ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
