It only took thirteen starts in the Xfinity Series for Shane van Gisbergen to earn his first series win, and predictably enough it came on a road course. The Australian Supercars ace came to NASCAR full-time after winning his one-off first Cup Series start at the Chicago Street Course.
After an impressive qualifying performance, van Gisbergen started on the front row with Sam Mayer beside him. Mayer got a better jump at the initial start, but a late-braking dive from van Gisbergen caught Mayer out as he attempted to take the racing line and sent the No. 1 car spinning.
“Firstly, I’m very sorry to Sam Mayer and the 1 team for the first corner, I just mucked up there and just clipped him, so very sorry, but he got back well” van Gisbergen admitted after getting out of his car to celebrate his win by kicking a rugby field goal.
Mayer indeed recovered to as high as third in the final laps but ended up finishing 28th after a flat tire from damage incurred from pushing too hard trying to chase down the leaders.
While the finish might not have been satisfying to Mayer, it certainly was for van Gisbergen. He also had to recover throughout the day. After pitting with two laps to go in Stage 1, missing out on stage points but getting track position, he chose not to repeat that in Stage 2 and lost five spots in the pits, with the race featuring non-competitive pit stops with a pit road time limit. On the Stage 2 restart, contact shuffled van Gisbergen back and gave his No. 97 a tire rub, and he also drove off the track in the tricky final corner complex, bleeding positions and forcing him to fight back in Stage 3.
Fight back he did, however, and van Gisbergen was in position to take the lead on a restart with five laps to go and drive straight to victory, which he celebrated with a drift and doughnuts.
“Thanks to Kaulig Racing and the Trackhouse guys… What a day! It was really cool, had some great racing,” van Gisbergen said. “I need to get better at my restarts and learn how to position, but that was so much fun. Really cool racing. I love these cars, that was great.”
Justin Allgaier ended up second after sweeping the stages. He was in position late but lost out to van Gisbergen in a restart with five laps to go and was unable to chase back van Gisbergen. The caution arose for a crash involving Brandon Jones, with the damage to the No. 9 proving terminal.
“I don’t know,” Allgaier said of where he needed to be better to secure the win. “I think that under those restarts, we were so free taking off and the car was struggling to get grip… Once we got the tires hot, the car was really good, and I think that’s the hardest part.
“Once he got by me there, I probably overdrove it trying to get back to him and I probably didn’t help my cause any. But really proud of my team, all the effort this team puts forth is really incredible.”
It’s Allgaier’s second runner-up finish at the track in the Xfinity Series, both times losing out late, and he was visibly disappointed with the result.
“To come here two years in a row and finish second two years in a row stings a little bit, but at the same time really proud of everybody… Just, all in all, it was a rough one.”
Sammy Smith finished third for JR Motorsports despite spinning on the frontstrech.
“Yeah, it was a long day,” Smith admitted. “We obviously started ninth, tenth and stayed there Stage 1 and then spun out in Stage 2 and had to work our way back up.”
For Smith, getting a podium finish despite the tribulations is a demonstration of the strength of his No. 8 group.
“We’ve started to run where we wanted to these past couple of weeks and it’s starting to show. Just got to keep this momentum going into Sonoma,” he concluded.
The Xfinity Series returns on June 8th at Sonoma Raceway for a road course rematch, giving drivers a chance to repeat or retry on the twisty tracks.
RACE RESULTS
Photos: NASCAR at Portland International Raceway Saturday, June 1, 2024
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