Shane van Gisbergen wins Grant Park 220 Chicago Street Race in Cup Series debut
Shane van Gisbergen came from Supercars, and he will leave Chicago as the winner of the NASCAR Grant Park 220 Chicago Street Race. He was almost perfect all weekend. When you thought he had lost this race, he popped back up at the end to remind you he was still there and won in convincing fashion.
After this remarkable debut in the NASCAR Cup Series, Shane van Gisbergen might have a future in the sport. There will be many teams wanting his services after this race. In the very first NASCAR street race, the Supercars champion comes in and steals it.
Despite late cautions, SVG charged to the front and didn’t let up.
Shane van Gisbergen is your winner at Chicago in a race shortened to 75 laps.
In what turned out to be a very fun and interesting race, there was plenty of drama. Yes, the weather was a major factor and gave everyone fits for most of the weekend. We didn’t see the Xfinity Series finish. All of the concerts got canceled. However, the Cup Series race delivered with Shane van Gisbergen making history.
Starting on rain tires, Denny Hamlin wrecks. Tyler Reddick tries to track down Christopher Bell for two stages. Then, the field flips as the caution comes out at the end of Stage 2. Things just kept getting more and more dramatic as the race went on. Slicks made the laps fast and gave us a lot of great racing as well once the swap was made and the track dried out.
When the field flipped after Stage 2 and a caution on the track, Shane van Gisbergen lost track position. He didn’t panic, stayed on the path and passed the field from 18th to 1st in a matter of 20 laps.
Shane van Gisbergen outclasses Cup Series field
This wasn’t just a Sunday drive for Shane van Gisbergen. The Kiwi was earning every second and every place he could in this race. The talented driver has 80 Supercars wins and now one Cup Series win to his name. Trackhouse Racing also gets another win this season, their first ever with Project 91.
What this means for SVG and his career remains to be seen. He was tasked with passing drivers like Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch on his way to this win. He had to compete with Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick for most of the day.
Even when van Gisbergen fell back in the field at various points in the race, he didn’t give up. His championship pedigree showed through as he battled with Cup Series talent and made it look easy.
After the race, Shane van Gisbergen noted that he has another season in Supercars left, but after that, he’d like to maybe give the Cup Series a go.