Shane van Gisbergen looks encouraging on NASCAR oval

Sport Nation • May 25th, 2026 4:07 pm

New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen stormed back to notch his seventh Cup Series victory | Photo: AP

Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen has wowed fans at Charlotte Motor Speedway, finishing 11th in the Coca-Cola 600 on Monday (NZ time).

SVG led steady laps and battled with the likes of Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs, finishing 10th in Stage 1, ninth in Stage 2, and seventh in Stage 3.

Despite dominating on street courses, SVG's has struggled racing on ovals with a best Cup Series finish of 6th at Echo Park in February.

Former Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suárez won the race, followed by Bell and Denny Hamlin.

Persistent rain washed away qualifying on Sunday (NZ time), placing drivers in grids based on their current season standings which for SVG, it was grid 3 - thanks to his recent win at Watkins Glen.

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Shane van Gisbergen looks encouraging on NASCAR oval

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