Shane van Gisbergen gets second straight oval top-10 at North Wilkesboro

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C.- Shane van Gisbergen’s oval prowess took another major leap Sunday night, finishing fifth at North Wilkesboro.  

The vintage race track gave fans a vintage short track race Sunday, with only six drivers finishing on the lead lap. At one point, SVG found himself leading the race on pure speed, with the kiwi saying “I’m leading. What the f**k do I do now?”. 

Just a year ago, van Gisbergen leading on an oval with pure speed would have sounded crazy, but it’s becoming a much more common sight. Short tracks have seemed to be SVG’s wheelhouse, especially a more tricky one like North Wilkesboro. 

He collected 47 points Sunday, the third most among the field, finishing second in stage one and fifth in stage two. It’s his fifth top-five finish of the season, and his second straight oval top-10 after he finished sixth at Atlanta last week. 

Sunday’s result is a huge one for SVG in the points standings, netting him a 23 point gain on the Chase cutline. He now sits +54 to the cutline, with Joey Logano and Austin Cindric the only two cars below him in the top-16. 

It was a hot night for many inside the race car on Sunday, with multiple drivers asking for various forms of relief. SVG asked his team for a cool pack and something sugary before one of his pit stops. He also complained of cramping and a sore left leg during and after the race. 

The No.97 car continues to significantly outpace his teammates, with Ross Chastain finishing 27th and Connor Zilisch finishing 32nd. Amid SVG’s short track success, several similar to North Wilkesboro lie ahead on the schedule, with Iowa, Richmond and New Hampshire coming up in August. 

The NASCAR Cup Series now heads to Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400 next Sunday, with the green flag set to fly at 2 P.M. ET on TNT.