SVG ready to rip the top at Vegas from the top-5 in NASCAR Cup points
A crazy day at Phoenix Raceway couldn’t keep Shane van Gisbergen from staying inside the top-five in points as he revisits one of his best Cup ovals.
After getting involved in three cautions and getting damage, SVG finished 11th and left Phoenix fifth in points with an 18-point advantage to the Chase cutline.
Many thought SVG was going to struggle when the series came to the first traditional oval of the season but the Kiwi quickly quieted everyone.
SVG started the race in 18th and not only maintained his pace but moved through the field. After finishing 14th in the the first stage, he even flirted with the top-10 in the second stage.
Then, the chaos began on lap 95. On a day with multiple tire failures and incidents, SVG was the first and it knocked him off the lead lap until lap 159.
After getting the free pass, SVG found himself solidly in the top-20 and moving up but trouble found him again – and again. The next two cautions – on lap 247 and lap 255 – swept him up in it. However, he stayed on the lead lap and kept himself in contention to take advantage of the next caution on lap 289.
On the subsequent restart, SVG restarted 11th after the tire strategies shuffled around. He held on, netting his second-best, non-SS oval finish in Cup.
While SVG ranked 20th for average speed, he ranked fourth for green flag passing difference – with there being 24 more instances of him passing cars than there were of cars passing him. He also earned his third-best, non-SS oval driver rating of his Cup career (75.4) – behind only two late-season races: Loudon last year (79.3) and Martinsville last fall (76.4).
This is all encouraging for SVG heading into Las Vegas Motor Speedway where, in the fall, he ripped the top all the way to the top-10 before a late-race crash took him out.
A top-10 finish, combined with road course successes to come, will make him a sneakily-potent driver to watch this season.
Editor’s note: With the current format, Shane van Gisbergen would’ve made the Chase last season.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com