Van Gisbergen joins exclusive club with Chicago Cup win

He joins a really small record of drivers born exterior america who’ve gone on to win on the Cup degree. He additionally turned the primary driver to win on debut in over 60 years, a feat final completed by Johnny Rutherford at Daytona in 1963.

The three-time Supercars champ made it clear after the race that he needs to return, and even hinted at doubtlessly going full-time by 2025.

Within the Xfinity and Truck Collection, 24 races have been received by worldwide drivers. However within the Cup Collection, it is a far rarer incidence with simply eight victories between six totally different drivers over 75 years.

The group of worldwide drivers to win on the prime degree of NASCAR is certainly not massive, nevertheless it does embody some very massive names.

Mario Andretti – Italy

Mario Andretti was born in part of Italy that now belongs to Croatia, and his household emigrated to the USA after World Struggle II. He turned a naturalized American citizen in 1964, and later acquired his solely Cup win in NASCAR’s most prestigious race — the 1967 Daytona 500. Driving for Holman-Moody, he led over half the race en path to a dominant victory.

Race winner Mario Andretti

Photograph by: Ford Motor Firm

Earl Ross – Prince Edward Island, Canada

Earl Ross was the primary and maybe surprisingly the one Canadian driver to ever win a NASCAR Cup Collection race, doing so in 1974. Driving for Junior Johnson, he beat Buddy Baker to win at Martinsville Speedway. The Canadian took the lead on Lap 422 of 500 and by no means appeared again, profitable by over a lap.

Juan Pablo Montoya – Bogotá, Colombia

It was over 40 years till one other foreign-born driver received once more on the Cup degree, however the one who did it was some of the versatile racers of the trendy day. Juan Pablo Montoya has confirmed he can drive nearly every thing, profitable seven Components 1 races, as nicely two Indy 500s over a decade aside, and that is simply scratching the floor of his exceptional profession. He received in his rookie yr as a Cup driver, taking the checkered flag at Sonoma Raceway in 2007. Montoya would go on to win yet another time at one other highway course, taking victory for Chip Ganassi Racing at Watkins Glen in 2010.

Victory lane: race winner Juan Pablo Montoya celebrates

Photograph by: Todd Corzett

Marcos Ambrose – Tasmania, Australia

The 2-time Australian Supercars champion was a pressure to be reckoned with on NASCAR’s highway programs, profitable 5 occasions within the Xfinity Collection. As a Cup driver, he got here shut a number of occasions earlier than lastly breaking via with a victory at Watkins Glen in 2011. He would go on to take back-to-back victories within the occasion, profitable once more at The Glen once more in 2012, in what’s remembered as some of the iconic finishes in NASCAR historical past.

Victory lane: race winner Marcos Ambrose, Petty Motorsport Ford celebrates

Photograph by: Adriano Manocchia

Daniel Suarez – Monterrey, Mexico

In 2016, Suarez was one in all NASCAR’s most promising younger stars. He received the NASCAR Xfinity Collection championship and was promoted to the Cup Collection by Joe Gibbs Racing after Carl Edwards’ stunning exit from the game. Nonetheless, after many struggles at JGR and later Stewart-Haas Racing, many thought Suarez’s probability at a profitable Cup profession had already handed. However a brand new group gave Suarez a brand new alternative to show the critics flawed. It all got here collectively at Sonoma Raceway final June, profitable in his 195th profession begin. Suarez led 47 of 110 laps and held off Chris Buescher to take the checkered flag, making historical past as the primary Mexican-born race winner in NASCAR Cup Collection historical past.

Race winner Daniel Suarez, TrackHouse Racing, Onx Properties / Renu Chevrolet Camaro

Photograph by: Jasen Vinlove / NKP / Motorsport Photographs

Shane van Gisbergen – Auckland, New Zealand

One yr later, Trackhouse Racing is now established as one of many prime Cup groups within the storage. Ross Chastain got here simply 235 toes shy of delivering them the championship in 2022. However Trackhouse is extra than simply Chastain and Suarez. No, they’ve a 3rd automotive. The Mission 91 entry is a program put collectively by group proprietor Justin Marks in hopes of brining worldwide racing champions into NASCAR and giving them a chance in profitable gear. The group had beforehand hosted former F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen.

However once they introduced Van Gisbergen, anybody who knew of him instantly realized that he may very well be a risk. The Supercars ace is within the prime of his profession could be making his NASCAR debut on the all-new Chicago Road Race. It did not take lengthy for him to indicate some tempo, main apply and qualifying third on the grid.

The race was in contrast to something the game had ever seen earlier than, beginning in moist situations on a road course and transitioning into drier situations all whereas underneath green-flag operating. SVG hung across the top-five all day, however when the race was shortened by 25 laps attributable to impending darkness, he was one of many drivers caught out by it. Undeterred, he sliced via the sector, driving from 18th to second with out a lot contact in any respect.

He caught race chief Justin Haley with 5 laps go, and after a short battle he was in a position to clear him into Flip 4. There was no additional problem as Van Gisbergen claimed a dramatic victory on debut, turning into the primary New Zealander to win in any of NASCAR’s three nationwide divisions.