Shane van Gisbergen Sets Sober Bristol Expectations After Disastrous Playoff Push

Shane van Gisbergen has only one enemy in the NASCAR Cup Series—and it’s oval racetracks. The road course superstar has been trying his level best to overcome his kryptonite in his first-ever playoff season, managing a 32nd-place finish in the start of the Round of 16 at Darlington. And now, as SVG fares a little better at Gateway, with a 25th-place finish, his playoff hopes still hang by a thread. With yet another oval lined up in Bristol, could this be the canvas for a fresher outcome?

Early in the race, the Kiwi showed aggressive intent, bumping Austin Cindric while battling from ninth place on lap 42. However, SVG himself began to struggle shortly after, reporting concerns about a possible flat tire as he fell from 18th to 25th position following a restart on lap 72. Despite these issues, he remained active in pit strategy, making scheduled stops at laps 48 and 158 along with several other lead lap drivers. He even briefly gained track position during a strategic two-tire pit stop on Lap 210, exiting pit road first and looking to capitalize on the shuffle. Unfortunately, contact with Austin Dillon forced him back to pit road for damage repairs a lap later, derailing his momentum.

Additionally, he had spun earlier under a restart on lap 156, which further disrupted his rhythm and track position. And now, as the three-time Australian Supercars champion struggles to find his breakthrough in the postseason, he is lowering his expectations for the next race. Speaking post-race, Shane van Gisbergen said, ” Yeah, it’s funny, right? Like, our pace has hugely improved over the last few months, and now we’re a 15th to 20th place car, which is amazing after the start we had, but in the playoffs, you just need more, right? So, don’t know if we’re just expecting too much out of ourselves for the level I’m at, at the moment, but, you know, we can go and get them 15th and 20ths, but it’s not enough in the playoffs when you need stage points and top 10. So, yeah, it is what it is.” 

Coming into Gateway, the Trackhouse Racing driver was 12th in the standings, the last driver above the cutoff line at +3. With only one race remaining in the Round of 16 at Bristol, SVG fell below the cut-off (sitting in 14th place with a 15-point deficit) following two major setbacks: his spin and a pit lane speeding penalty during the final round of stops. The penalty dropped him to the back of the lead lap for the restart, placing him 29th, though he recovered slightly to finish 25th.

Amid Shane van Gisbergen’s oval struggles, Darlington only heightened them. SVG struggled with major handling issues with his Chevrolet, leading to a disappointing 32nd-place finish. The team adopted a one-stop strategy in the last stage, which backfired when the caution flag dropped shortly after his pit stop, putting him two laps down. Despite a spirited charge in the final laps of stage one that earned him the Lucky Dog free pass, SVG couldn’t recover, ultimately finishing two laps adrift. This result dropped him from 6 to 12 in the playoff standings, just three points above the cut-off line, highlighting the unforgiving nature of Darlington’s challenging track.

And that same misfortune carried forward to Gateway. However, SVG wasn’t the only Trackhouse Racing driver who suffered.

Gateway proves to be a disappointment for Trackhouse Racing

It was a tough day for the whole of Trackhouse Racing. Daniel Suarez had a challenging outing. On lap 61, while battling three wide with Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell for 14th, Suarez got sideways and hit the outside wall, ending his race prematurely. The incident forced him to retire and settle for a second-last-place finish after Josh Berry’s early exit. Adding to the disappointing finish in a season that has been turbulent for the Trackhouse Racing driver, the 33-year-old’s struggles at Gateway highlight difficulties in maintaining position and tightly contested races, especially when caught up in multi-car battles.

Moreover, Ross Chastain, another Trackhouse Racing playoff driver, started his day in fourth, pushing ahead and trying to gain a position over Chase Briscoe. He managed to stay in contention through several cycles but ultimately finished 24th. This deterioration happened slowly; by the end of stage one, Chastain had dropped to 8th place, and by stage two, he was hovering over P10. But with a series of other drivers making strategic stops, Ross Chastain was left behind outside the top 20. This has serious implications for his playoff opportunities as well.

Now, as the team heads to Bristol, the playoff drivers, SVG and Ross Chastain, will have to take their next step carefully to stay in the championship hunt. Do you think they can do it?