Van Gisbergen’s Playoff dreams over

The rookie NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs campaign for Shane van Gisbergen is over after a “tough” night in Bristol.

Van Gisbergen has been knocked out in the first round of Playoffs after finishing the Bristol Night Race in 26th.

Having finished 32nd and 25th at Darlington and Gateway, respectively, the Trackhouse Racing Kiwi finished 15th with only the top 12 progressing.

After starting 28th, van Gisbergen had a tough night and a spin from 33rd on Lap 238 after contact from Will Byron put his Playoff hopes in tatters.

Despite the early end to Playoffs, simply making the first stage of finals is an impressive achievement in his rookie season.

“It was a pretty wild night,” van Gisbergen said. 

“I got run over once by a guy that was pretty average, but the rest of it, I just needed to put myself in better spots and understand what was going on earlier in the race. 

“I just made it hard on myself early.”

The race became a war of attrition with limited tyre life and van Gisbergen revealed it was a battle with a lack of experience.

“Guys have had experience with the tyre wear before with last year’s race,” he said. 

“I just didn’t understand how to manage the tire wear early enough. 

“Our No. 88 Wendy’s Breakfast Baconator Chevrolet was decent at the end. 

“We got the car handling better for what I needed. 

“I was just too hard on the tires with the way I was driving the car.”

Up front Christopher Bell completed a Round of 16 sweep for Joe Gibbs Racing with the #20 making a stunning late charge.

Bell was only fifth with just four laps left, but charged home and survived a square shot to his rear from Brad Keselowski to hold on by 0.343s.

Ty Gibbs, led a race-high 201 laps, but overshot his pit stall on the last green-flag stop and finished 10th.

“Well, I’ll tell you what, I was nervous on the twos (tires),” Bell said. “I didn’t know if I wanted to be on the bottom or the top, and whenever Brad picked the top (lane) didn’t really give me an option. I had to pick the bottom.

“All night long, I don’t know, old tires just really, really pushed up in the middle of the corners, so I was hoping that those guys (starting ahead of him) on old tires would push up, and they did. They did, and I was able to get by or get underneath them.

“It wasn’t pretty there at the end, but we got her done.”

Joining winners Bell, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe in the Round of 12 are Kyle Larson, Byron, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick.

North Hamptonshire is next at 4.00 AEST Monday, September 22.

Image: HHP/Harold Hinson

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