Byron wins COTA, gearing issue and penalty limits van Gisbergen 

Shane van Gisbergen finished his first NASCAR Cup Series race of 2024 in 21st after a battling day at COTA where Will Bryon took another win for Hendrick Motorsports.

It was far from an easy race for the Kiwi, being caught speeding on pit road before losing first gear in the final stage.

At a track featuring six first gear corners, van Gisbergen nursed the Kaulig Racing #97 Camaro to be 21st in the demanding 68-lap Echopark Automotive Grand Prix.

The first Cup Series start of 2024 arrived after the Kiwi almost won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Texas.

The fight for the win centred around an intense battle between the likes of Byron, Tyler Reddick, Chris Bell, Alex bowman, Ty Gibbs and Ross Chastain.

A fast final stop shot Byron clear of his rivals and despite a late charge from Bell, the #24 held on by just under a second to collect a second win of 2024.

The race ran green all day despite a number of incidents occurring around the circuit including the likes of Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Kamui Kobayashi, who got stuck into each other while Kyle Busch and Ryan Truex Jr recovered from spins to finish in the top 10.

Van Gisbergen started 12th and held 13th across the first nine laps before setting up a calculated move on Chase Elliott at turn 1 as Byron dominated the opening stage.

The #97 got ahead of Trackhouse’s Daniel Suarez before pitting on lap 13.

As a result he started Stage 2 in 14th and hit the top 10 with seven to go before returning to the lane with five to go.

But this is where van Gisbergen’s race suffered its first setback, being caught for speeding on pit road and dropped to 29th as a result as Denny Hamlin won Stage 2.

The Kiwi then stayed out long all the way to within 18 laps from the finish and rose to second behind Martin Truex Jr.

For the run home SVG rejoined 22nd behind Hamlin, 26s behind leader Byron.

Van Gisbergen nursed his car home to be 21st ahead of John Hunter Nemecheck at the finish.

The #97 will return to the NASCAR Cup Series at the Talladega Superspeedway on April 21.

Photo by Nigel Kinrade / NKP / LAT Images

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