Van Gisbergen returns to Xfinity Victory Lane
Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen has recorded his first victory of the weekend at Chicago, snaring the NASCAR Xfinity Series race as Jack Perkins suffered heartbreak.
Having also won on debut last year, van Gisberegn maintained his perfect Xfinity Series record at the Chicago Street Race.
This time it was as a wildcard guest and in stunning style as he snatched the win from Trackhouse young gun teammate Connor Zilich on the penultimate lap.
The pair went side by side into Turn 1 with the Kiwi winning the battle and the race as Zilich tagged the wall and settled for second.
Meanwhile, Jack Perkins’ first taste of NASCAR was over almost as soon as it started.
Lining up fifth there was plenty of hope for the JGR driver, but possible contact with Sam Smith saw Perkins spinning rearwards into the outside wall at Turn 6.
The impact left significant damage on the #19 Supra and Perkins came to a stop, bringing out an early caution.
But all eyes were on SVG as he celebrated a fourth Xfinity triumph.
“Unreal! Thought it was going to be a lost cause with the strategy, but the car was a rocket,” van Gisberegn said.
“When so many cars did not follow us (on strategy) it was a bit of a worry, but having the tyre grip was a big one.
“Connor is a great young driver and I knew that was my opportunity and took it. Awesome one-two for the team.”
Zillich admitted SVG outraced him in the race-deciding final two-lap green flag run.
“I should have just not let him get to my bottom and inside because I was clear there and he took advantage,” the fellow Trackhouse driver said.
“I should have been a little more aggressive and our car was fast all day.
“Racing for the win. I am not going to complain about it and will learn from it and move on.”
Van Gisbergen started from pole and despite reporting engine issues in his #9 Camaro, he drove clear of the field in the first five laps as the team stated “you just have to drive with it.”
However, the American dream quickly turned into a nightmare for Perkins as he found the Turn 6 concrete.
With heavy rear end damage, Perkins was restricted to a lowly 32nd, four laps off the pace.
After winning the opening stage, van Gisbergen chose a different strategy to his rivals and dropped to as low as 25th.
However, he soared up to 13th by the end of the second stage and chipped away throughout the rest of the race to catch the leading Zilich before the final caution caused by Andre Castro got stuck in the tyres.
With one race down, van Gisbergen hopes to complete the Chicago sweep in the Cup Series race on Monday morning AEST.
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