Shane Van Gisbergen Calls for Changes in NASCAR After “Sickening” Crash at Chicago

Chaotic is probably the word to describe the Grant Park 165. Despite Shane van Gisbergen’s triumph, fellow Cup Series driver Cody Ware stole headlines after suffering a brutal wreck on the penultimate lap. Safety concerns have taken center stage following the alarming delay in NASCAR’s response to Cody Ware’s crash.

NASCAR fans and veterans didn’t mince their words after viewing the horrific footage of the crash at the Chicago Street Race. And now, with concern growing over NASCAR’s handling of the incident, Shane van Gisbergen isn’t holding back, calling for urgent procedural changes to ensure driver safety isn’t compromised again.

SVG suggests a concept to keep drivers safe

With just two laps remaining at the Grant Park 165, Shane Van Gisbergen had a comfortable lead when disaster struck behind him. Cody Ware, who was running 18th at the moment, descended into turn 6 at roughly 93 mph, blew a brake rotor, and plowed headfirst into a tire barrier. The impact was violent and immediate. Remarkably, NASCAR waited nearly 35 seconds before waving the caution, long enough for SVG to start the final lap and take the win under the yellow. The hesitation sparked outrage among fans and insiders over the response gap.

In a candid conversation with Claire B. Lang, Shane Van Gisbergen directly addressed the delayed yellow flag and how other racing disciplines manage similar situations. The No. 88 driver said, “Yeah, so obviously I was on the good side of it in the NASCAR world. They cross the line before the yellow come out. Normally, in every other series, the yellow comes out, and you just finish the race. But NASCAR, I guess it’s a talking point, because the race could have been extended.” 

NASCAR removed the ‘racing back to caution’ rule in 2003 because it was unsafe. Drivers were allowed to pass the crash scene before yellow flags came out, creating dangerous situations. Today, the field is frozen immediately upon flag activation, illustrating how NASCAR prioritizes safety in certain contexts and why delays like those at Chicago seem contrary to that intent. Mike Forde, NASCAR’s Managing Director of Racing Communications, confirmed that the delay occurred before the caution was thrown following Ware’s impact, the longest for a front-end collision since the Next Gen car’s introduction in 2022.

Moreover, the Trackhouse Racing driver explains the concept of safety in Supercars. Being a three-time Supercar champion, knows how it works outside of NASCAR. He explained how Supercars deals with such high-intensity crashes, and suggested NASCAR should adopt similar systems to prevent delayed cautions from happening again.

SVG added, “But I’m pretty sure in Supercars, when I left, the cars had like a G-sensor, or if you had a crash that was big enough, it would trigger that G-sensor to, you know, medical and probably race control. And maybe that’s something we need here, if they don’t have it already, and you know, if the crash is big enough, you need someone to, you know, obviously, looking at that fan version of the car passing by, it’s sickening to watch that. So yeah, I guess there needs to be something to be improved, but I feel like NASCAR in general is fast-moving with that stuff, so I’m sure it’ll be better.”

Immediately after the impact, Cody Ware radioed to his team, “Need help.” The delayed response also caused operational oversight. NASCAR Cup Series managing director Brad Moran confirmed race control missed seeing Ware’s impact clearly and would be reviewing both camera coverage and procedural standards.

Following one of the scariest crashes of the season, Cody Ware has reached out to let everyone know that he is okay. Updating his status on Wednesday with the post on Instagram, he wrote, “Thank you to everyone who has reached out the last couple days and checked on me. Praise the Lord for keeping me safe during that wreck; blowing a rotor at Chicago was not a fun experience. Huge thanks to my team and all the mechanics working on these cars to keep me safe, and all of the safety equipment that I was wearing. We had a fast @arby’s cheesesteak Ford all day!!! Ready to take what we learned and hit it at Sonoma.”

Hopefully, NASCAR implements some changes to ensure a better and safer environment for the drivers. However, SVG, basking in his glory, shared how he celebrated his win.

Shane van Gisbergen parties for two

After a weekend for the history books, SVG let loose in the best way possible, celebrating a clean sweep of both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series races on the streets of Chicago. Following his back-to-back triumphs at the Loop 110 and The Grant Park 165, the No. 88 driver sent out a cheeky update just after 4 am ET on X: “I won’t be available in the morning, please try me in the afternoon. Thanks.” The message, sent in the early hours after the race, was a clear sign that the 36-year-old Kiwi was soaking in every moment of his double victory.

Reflecting on the impromptu post, Van Gisbergen laughed during an appearance on NASCAR’s Day After admitting, “I don’t remember sending that tweet, so there you go.” He shared that most of his team had come over to his place to celebrate, turning their win into a relaxed and memorable night. The scene painted a picture, not just of a triumph, but of a genuine camaraderie among a crew that had just conquered one of the most technical race weekends of the season.

But Chicago wasn’t just a standalone celebration; it was also a make-up party for a missed opportunity. After Shane’s earlier win in Mexico City, illness had swept through the team, robbing them of a proper celebration. He said, “We didn’t get to celebrate Mexico together. I was pretty sick, so were a lot of the guys. We got home at an okay hour, and we had a great weekend. So it was good to get together and celebrate it.”

The win in Chicago had a real impact on the standings, too. Van Gisbergen jumped five positions to 27th in the Cup series rankings. While still outside the top 20, his two victories placed him in elite company, just behind heavy hitters like Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell, each with three wins. With the road course coming up and momentum on his side, SVG has a chance to tie the series lead for wins at Sonoma this weekend.