MEXICO CITY — A four-day stretch that in some methods couldn’t have gone a lot worse culminated in a day that couldn’t have gone a lot better for Shane van Gisbergen.
Shane Van Gisbergen takes the middle of the rostrum after profitable the NASCAR Cup Collection race at Mexico
Mired in thirty third within the NASCAR Cup Series standings and struggling in a rookie season, van Gisbergen captured the inaugural Cup race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez because the Trackhouse Racing crew overcame journey woes that resulted in them solely having a partial crew for observe Friday.
“Loopy weekend and everybody dug deep,” van Gisbergen mentioned. “Everybody banded collectively. These engineers arriving yesterday proper earlier than qualifying and the evening earlier than mechanics — it was a skeleton crew actually on Friday.
“Credit score to everybody who banded collectively and got here up with a plan. And it ended up superb.”
It didn’t come as simple because the margin of victory of 16.567 seconds, the biggest hole between a winner and second place in a Cup race in almost 16 years. The three-time Supercars champion, in his second 12 months of racing in NASCAR, battled illness that he mentioned had him feeling “fairly garbage right now leaking out each holes.”
Regardless of the illness, van Gisbergen’s dominance didn’t shock many. —
Shane van Gisbergen celebrates with a burnout after profitable the NASCAR Cup Collection Viva Mexico 250
A stout highway racer, he gained in his first Cup begin in 2023 when he prevailed on the inaugural Chicago avenue course race in a one-off occasion for Trackhouse Racing. That began conversations for van Gisbergen to maneuver from New Zealand full time and compete in NASCAR, the place he raced primarily within the Xfinity Series final season.
Having gained the pole on Saturday and understanding he had a stable automotive, van Gisbergen mentioned he felt queasy through the first stage of the occasion Sunday on the 15-turn, 2.42-mile highway course earlier than remedy kicked in for the rest of the 100-lap race.
“The primary stint, I used to be feeling fairly common,” van Gisbergen mentioned. “I used to be like, ‘That is going to be an extended race. … I checked out my watch and my coronary heart charge, and I wanted to settle down a bit. I form of needed to handle myself, whereas usually it is simply push flat out with out a consider the health.”
Whereas he led 60 of the 100 laps, van Gisbergen did want the cautions to fall his solution to align with when he placed on tires and took gasoline. They did, permitting him to steer the ultimate 32 laps.
“The automotive was clearly OK, however he is unbelievable,” mentioned SVG crew chief Stephen Doran. “It is superb to observe him race at tracks like this.”
Doran didn’t have an excessive amount of of a priority that van Gisbergen’s sickness would considerably influence his efficiency. However it was slightly unknown as van Gisbergen mentioned the sickness got here shortly Saturday afternoon and night.
Shane Van Gisbergen and extra post-race interviews from Viva Mexico 250
Having traveled extensively, van Gisbergen mentioned he tried to watch out with what he was placing in his physique through the weekend.
“My thoughts was clear however my physique, I simply had a lot stress in my abdomen,” van Gisbergen mentioned.
If van Gisbergen was in ache through the race, he didn’t point out it to his crew.
“I simply saved reminding him to maintain consuming some fluids,” Doran mentioned. “He had some little squeeze packs of vitality pouches within the automotive with him. I may inform by his tone that he wasn’t struggling too dangerous as soon as he obtained racing.”
Everybody within the facility may inform he had the dominant mixture of machine and ability.
“I simply must work on myself slightly bit, determine what Shane was doing via a pair sections of the race observe,” mentioned second-place finisher Christopher Bell.
Daniel Suarez, teammate to van Gisbergen, mentioned SVG had a stable setup. Suarez got here in as the house nation favourite and had delighted the group by profitable the Xfinity Collection race on Saturday. Beginning tenth, Suarez completed nineteenth, a results of not being quick sufficient (dropping pace on the lengthy green-flag runs) and the cautions not popping out at occasions that might match his technique.
“We do not have precisely the identical race vehicles,” Suarez mentioned. “We have now completely different [geometry], completely different springs, so the vehicles will not be the identical. After which the technique — right now the technique did not work out.
“Do I believe that with the identical technique I used to be going to beat him? I do not know. It is unimaginable to say. … We simply need to proceed to work, and hopefully we get higher sufficient within the subsequent 10 weeks to make it into the playoffs.”
The playoffs.
For van Gisbergen, the victory vaulted him into the 16-driver playoffs regardless of his factors place. The one manner he would miss the playoffs is that if there are extra winners than 16 playoff spots (van Gisbergen was the tenth winner this 12 months and 10 races stay within the common season) as factors are used because the tiebreaker.
“That is why I am right here, to win highway races,” van Gisbergen mentioned. “However I am not right here to run final on the ovals, both. I must hold getting higher to justify being a Cup Collection driver. I must be acting on the ovals, too.
“I really feel like we’re actually making strides, however that is what I am right here to do – make the playoffs, put one other Trackhouse automotive within the playoffs.”
Within the first 10 oval races this 12 months, van Gisbergen completed as soon as within the prime 20. Within the 4 oval races main into Mexico Metropolis, van Gisbergen earned three prime 20s.
So it seems he has made progress. Gradual progress however progress, nonetheless.
That doesn’t imply it hasn’t been a irritating 12 months. However van Gisbergen is called somebody who will battle via the struggles.
And the victory Sunday amid illness seems to be no exception. He had no plans of going to sleep or taking extra meds.
“I’ll combine some Pink Bulls with some grownup drinks,” he mentioned.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports activities. He has spent many years masking motorsports, together with over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting Information, NASCAR Scene journal and The (Daytona Seaside) Information-Journal. Comply with him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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