Shane van Gisbergen has been the sensation of the season—four wins, a rookie who turned NASCAR upside down, and a reminder that sometimes the outsiders make the best stories. But Bristol reminded him it doesn’t care about fairy tales.
The New Zealander’s night was a carousel of calamity. Not one, not two, but three separate incidents—including a pair of spins that left his Chevy looking like it had been caught in a revolving door. By the time he finally crossed the line in 26th, the damage was done. His first Cup Series Playoff run was over, minus-16 points, too many to advance.
Van Gisbergen didn’t sugarcoat it.
“I’m happy but frustrated,” he said. “Proud—it’s a privilege to be here—but also pissed at myself. The last few weeks I just haven’t been good enough. I’ve been getting better at ovals, but I didn’t understand the track early enough here, what the tires were doing and how to save them. I blame myself at the moment. But thanks to Trackhouse—we’ve had an awesome year. It’s not over yet, but I need to be better, and that’ll come with time.”
It was raw honesty, the kind you rarely hear in a garage where most answers are packaged like fast food. Van Gisbergen knows he’s learning the hardest way possible: trial by short track.
And while his Playoff road ends here, his role isn’t done. Teammate Ross Chastain is still very much alive in the championship hunt, and SVG is ready to help.
“I’ll do everything I can prep-wise, help him study,” he said. “Now the priority is to get the 1 through to the next round and the finals. I’m happy to help him.”
So the rookie bows out—bruised, battered, but far from beaten. Bristol handed him a cruel lesson, but lessons have been the story of his year. And judging by his four wins already, the book isn’t finished yet.
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.
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