Shane van Gisbergen frustrated despite ‘amazing day’ at Coca-Cola 600

Shane van Gisbergen described the Coca-Cola 600 as an “incredible day” for Trackhouse Racing, but left Charlotte Motor Speedway frustrated after falling outside the top 10 late in the race.

The No. 97 Chevrolet ran near the front for much of the night, and Van Gisbergen even led 11 laps as rain threatened to shorten the event.

But a chaotic race to the finish, which included a slow pit stop and a handful of wild restarts, left him out of contention for a top-10 finish and he eventually crossed the line in 11th place.

SVG frustrated after missing out on top 10

Starting third after qualifying was cancelled, the New Zealand driver was inside the top 10 on all three stages, finishing tenth, ninth and seventh respectively.

With rain imminent, Trackhouse opted to keep Van Gisbergen out on older tires, a move that briefly put him into the lead. But as the weather took its toll, he lost position on the track and was unable to recover in time.

Daniel Suarez was declared the winner after the race was canceled early, while van Gisbergen was left reflecting on what could have been.

“It’s tough,” he said after the race.

“I had an amazing day, but I’m b… We were in the top five or six cars, but in the end we didn’t work out.”

Positive conclusions despite late frustration

Despite the disappointment, van Gisbergen found positives in the team’s pace and strategy, and credited team boss Stephen Doran for the bold decisions that kept them in contention.

“It was really great to run at the front all day. They gave us a good starting position with the cancellation of qualifying.”

“It was a good decision for Stephen to stay there. It was awesome to be able to lead some laps.”

Van Gisbergen’s 11th-place finish still moved him up two spots in the NASCAR standings, taking him out of the playoff bubble and putting him in a more comfortable position heading into the next round.

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