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SVG Grinds to 22nd in Wreck-Strewn NASCAR Cup Race at Texas

Shane Van Gisbergen at Texas Motor Speedway, May 2025

By Andrew Clarke

Date posted: 6 May 2025

Shane van Gisbergen endured a bruising and chaotic Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, wrestling his SafetyCulture Chevrolet to 22nd place in a race marred by 12 cautions, multiple crashes, and a chaotic overtime finish.

In his latest NASCAR Cup Series start, the Kiwi showed flashes of speed and tenacity, clawing from a 37th-place grid spot and flirting with the top 15 before fading late. Despite the setbacks, van Gisbergen was upbeat post-race.

“Just wasn’t comfortable with the car there at the start and struggled to find speed,” he said. “Thanks to my 88 crew for never giving up and continuing to work to make my Chevrolet better and better. We will learn from this and continue to make improvements.”

Shane Van Gisbergen at Texas Motor Speedway, May 2025

#88: Shane Van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing, Safety Culture Chevrolet. Image: Barr Visuals

It was a solid effort considering the carnage around him and the ongoing challenge of adapting to the full-time NASCAR grind. SVG’s Texas result follows a rough run at Talladega, as he continues his rookie season in the Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing’s Project91 arm.

While van Gisbergen finished 22nd, it was a strong day for his Trackhouse teammates. Ross Chastain stormed through the field to finish second – just 0.346s behind race winner Joey Logano – after a broken jack during a late pit stop forced him to restart the final stage back in 27th. Chastain now has six top-10s this season and looks like a growing playoff threat.

“We made an adjustment during the race and it fixed the car,” Chastain said. “All the problems we had yesterday and at the start of the race – they were gone. That’s why you keep fighting.”

Daniel Suárez backed up his Talladega top 10 with another solid run, climbing from 25th to as high as sixth late in the race before slipping back to 10th in the final scramble to the line.

“All-in-all, it was a decent day and it’s good to get back-to-back top-10 finishes,” Suárez said.

For van Gisbergen, the Texas result was another valuable data point as he builds NASCAR experience on ovals. He’ll be back in action next Sunday when the Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway.

Images: Barr Visuals

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