Shane van Gisbergen is the highest driver within the Supercars Championship in the present day because the reigning champion, however he solidified his standing as top-of-the-line racers basically on Sunday as he gained the NASCAR Cup Sequence‘ inaugural Grant Park 220 on the streets of Chicago in his first ever inventory automotive race.
Using on newer tyres, Gisbergen constantly set the quickest lap instances within the closing twenty laps earlier than catching chief Justin Haley. Regardless of a late warning for Bubba Wallace and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.‘s crash that triggered time beyond regulation, Gisbergen cleared Haley after simply two corners and pulled away for the walk-off win.
He’s the primary driver in NASCAR’s trendy period to win in his Cup début and seventh all time on the high degree after Jim Roper (1949, inaugural Cup race), Jack White (1949), Harold Kite (1950), Leon Gross sales (1950), Marvin Burke (1951), and Johnny Rutherford (1963). The Kiwi additionally joins fellow Supercar veteran Marcos Ambrose, Mario Andretti, Juan Pablo Montoya, Earl Ross, and Trackhouse Racing team-mate Daniel Suárez because the six Cup winners born outdoors america.
Trackhouse’s #91, operated as a part of PROJECT91 to draw international racing stars to NASCAR, turned the primary part-time Cup car to go to Victory Lane since Wooden Brothers Racing‘s #21 gained the 2011 Daytona 500 with Trevor Bayne. The quantity had additionally final gained a Cup race in 1953 at Hickory courtesy of Tim Flock.
“This was so cool. That is what you dream of. Hopefully I can come and do extra,” stated Gisbergen. Whereas his Supercars obligations maintain him in Australia for 2024, the triple champion has been eager about committing to NASCAR on a extra common foundation afterwards. “After we had that again technique again to eighteenth, I began to fret a bit however had some full stands on some folks and the racing was actually good, everybody was respectful. It was robust however a whole lot of enjoyable.
“The followers in Australia and New Zealand, the response this week and the protection has been, I can’t clarify it. Just like the response and the assist I’ve obtained from everybody and even over right here how welcoming everyone seems to be, I can’t imagine it. Dream come true.”
Gisbergen impressed nearly instantly when he led follow earlier than qualifying third. After NASCAR determined to shorten the race from the unique 100 laps to 75 because of fears of not having the ability to full the total distance earlier than dusk, Gisbergen and a few drivers elected to pit sooner than scheduled. Regardless of being relegated to the center of the sphere in eighteenth, the transfer paid off as his brisker tyres allowed him to methodically labored his manner again as much as the entrance earlier than getting into the battle for the lead with Haley on lap 71.
Regardless of Haley’s finest efforts, together with an tried move on Gisbergen in time beyond regulation after dropping the lead, he was compelled to accept second. Lacking out on the win is an apparent disappointment, particularly as he’s twenty-third in factors and making an attempt to make the playoffs, although his effort was nothing to scoff at as he needed to maintain off seven-time street course race winner Chase Elliott for the runner-up place. Had he been in a position to defeat Gisbergen, Haley would have notched his second Cup win, the primary additionally approaching an American Independence Day weekend marred by rain.
“Congrats to PROJECT91. It sucks, the place we’re proper now, we aren’t in place to win each week, so coming that shut clearly shouldn’t be what you need,” commented Haley. “I used to be actually struggling below the braking zones. Felt like I may get off the nook higher than anybody, however what are you going to do? He had sixteen-lap brisker tyres.”
Kyle Busch salvaged a fifth after crashing into the tyre barrier in flip six on the opening lap, additionally pitting early like Gisbergen to success. A number of drivers went round in that accident together with pole winner Denny Hamlin, who spent the remainder of the race making an attempt to make up misplaced floor and positioned eleventh. Hamlin’s team-mate Christopher Bell and worker Tyler Reddick completed 1–2 in Stage #1 and the previous additionally gained the second leg, however neither completed within the high ten as Bell and Reddick had been additionally claimed by flip six.
The most important accident got here on lap 48 when William Byron missed the right-hand nook in flip eleven. Behind him, Kevin Harvick was clipped by Corey LaJoie and spun in entrance of the observe, inflicting a large pile-up that compelled eleven different vehicles to return to a cease.
Legacy Motor Membership ruined group boss Richard Petty‘s 86th birthday with a tough displaying, including to an already dismal season. Erik Jones and Noah Gragson had been concerned within the first-lap fracas, and the latter struggled mightily as he spun into the flip six tyre barrier twice to supply cautions. The group was additionally with out co-owner Jimmie Johnson, who was to pilot a 3rd automotive however withdrew days earlier than because of household issues.
F1 champion Jenson Button, who not too long ago piloted a Cup automotive on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, completed twenty-first in his second NASCAR begin. He was spun whereas pitting within the early phases of the race, which he described as “an actual disgrace. I believe we pitted on the proper time. We went from wets to dries. It was a tough selection. I couldn’t see out of the windscreen it was so soiled, however I believe it was the proper selection. After we obtained circled we misplaced fifteen locations plus, in order that made it very tough, nevertheless it was enjoyable on the market. I had some good fights. I obtained overtaken by some, however I overtook much more, so it was pleasing.”
Moreover the looming darkness shortening the race, issues about visibility prompted NASCAR to order restarts to occur single file slightly than the usual two abreast. Rain had beforehand compelled the Xfinity Sequence assist spherical to be known as off earlier than it reached midway.
Regardless of the weather closely impacting the weekend and preliminary skepticism about inventory vehicles on a road course, many drivers thought of it a rousing hit from an on-track standpoint.
“For a road course, I believe it raced higher than I believed it could,” commented Chase Briscoe, who completed twentieth. “There are positively components that may be improved like widening the observe and different sure issues, however all issues thought of, it shocked me in comparison with what I believed it was going to be. I believed there have been a ton of followers right here, and I believed the occasion was cool. I might have beloved for the climate to cooperate, so we may have seen what this occasion may’ve actually become as a result of there have been nonetheless so many individuals on the market for the way dangerous the climate was. Hopefully, we will do it once more, do a pair issues higher, and placed on a good higher race.”
