Shane Van Gisbergen put on another road-racing masterclass on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, taking the checkered flag in an action-packed Bank of America ROVAL™ 400.
Van Gisbergen set the tone early in his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, taking the Stage 1 win after a hard-fought battle at the front of the field. Ross Chastain – Van Gisbergen’s Trackhouse teammate – also showed strength in the opening stint, finishing fifth to collect valuable stage points in his pursuit of a Round of 8 playoff berth.
However, Chastain’s day quickly took a turn for the worse. A costly mistake while exiting pit road dropped him deep into the pack, mired back in 30th, erasing all of the progress he had made early on.
The race saw its first major incident on lap 31 when contact from Carson Hocevar’s No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet sent Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford spinning through the frontstretch chicane. The impact broke a toe link on Cindric’s car, ruining his day, and ending his playoff run in heartbreaking fashion.
Strategy came into play as teams shuffled their positions through pit sequences, and Ryan Blaney took advantage to win Stage 2 in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford. Chastain’s misfortune continued on lap 88 when he was caught speeding while exiting pit road, resulting in a pass-through penalty that further hindered his hopes of advancing to the penultimate round of the playoffs.
In the closing laps, Van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson swapped the lead in a spirited battle before Van Gisbergen ultimately pulled away to secure the victory by 15.167 seconds over Larson and Christopher Bell.
Chris Buescher and Michael McDowell completed the top five.
Van Gisbergen’s fifth consecutive road-course victory put the New Zealander in a tie with NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Gordon for the most consecutive Cup Series wins on a road course.
The drama, however, was far from over when Van Gisbergen took the checkered flag.
Denny Hamlin passed Chastain on the final lap, which gave Joey Logano the final transfer spot into the Round of 8. Realizing his playoff hopes were slipping away, Chastain made a desperate move into the frontstretch chicane, colliding with Hamlin and sending both cars spinning. Logano avoided the chaos and advanced, while Chastain’s last-gasp gamble didn’t turn into a Round of 8 berth.
Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Austin Cindric were also eliminated from championship contention.
Hamlin, Larson, Bell, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe and Joey Logano advanced to the Round of 8.
SHANE VAN GISBERGEN, NO. 88 TRACKHOUSE CHEVROLET (RACE WINNER): "An amazing day. The car was just unbelievable. I think we did a pretty good job of making some tweaks from [Saturday]. In the start of that third stage, Kyle [Larson] and Christopher [Bell] were really good. I lost control of the lead and lost control of the race. I couldn't match them, really. They were a bit better than me. Whatever we did that last stop was great. From there, we were just magic. I was watching on the big screen, wondering how Ross was doing [in the final laps, trying to clinch a Round of 8 berth]. There was a bit of a race the last 10 laps, trying to see what was going on the big screen. I was hoping a caution wouldn't come out. I was trying to watch the race."
JUSTIN MARKS, NO. 88 TRACKHOUSE RACING CHEVROLET (WINNING CAR OWNER): “This is the winningest season in the history of the company, and a lot of that has to do with this incredible team – it’s not just Shane [Van Gisbergen], it’s everyone.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (RUNNER-UP): “[Van Gisbergen] was just way better than all of us. I was trying to fight and maybe press him into a mistake. He kind of ran into me [during Stage 3 in a battle for the lead], so I was like, ‘Alright, I’m gonna run into you a few times here,’ but it was inevitable that he was going to pass me. I’m happy with second. It was a great day. I thought we were definitely second-best all race long. The team and pit crew were awesome.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, NO. 20 JOE GIBBS RACING TOYOTA (THIRD-PLACE FINISHER): “More of the same on the road courses, just getting our teeth kicked in by Shane [Van Gisbergen]. I struggled going loose. I think all of us were the same way, we just all go loose and he doesn’t. We saw earlier in the race – the start of Stage 3 – we could keep up with him, but he just blitzes us on the backside.”
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 TRACKHOUSE CHEVROLET (FINISHED 21ST): “I had to be in front of [Hamlin to advance in the Round of 8], so, I did what I had to do to be in front of the 11. I am sorry to them, I’m sorry to Denny, I’m sorry to JGR and their whole team. I singlehandedly took a car out of the Round of 8 – we were good enough to be in the top five, and I took us out of that. That’s the only reason we aren’t in the Round of 8. It’s all on me.”
DENNY HAMLIN, NO. 11 JOE GIBBS RACING TOYOTA (FINISHED 23RD): “I didn’t want any part of it. I wish I would have known what the last-lap scenario was and [I would] make the best decision for me. No one told me anything – I didn’t know if I was racing for 25th or 10th – I had no idea of my position.”
