Shane van Gisbergen Clinches First NASCAR Cup Oval Top Ten Finish

Shane van Gisbergen scores his first NASCAR Cup oval top ten with tenth at Kansas Speedway, converting an early penalty into Trackhouse Racing’s best finish of the day.

Race control orders a stop-and-go at the green flag for an unapproved Saturday adjustment, immediately dropping him a lap down and forcing a recovery drive from the outset.

He regains the lead lap through pace, caution timing, and clean stops, then advances methodically as interim crew chief Chais Eliason stabilizes strategy and tire usage amid frequent restarts.

Late cautions compress the field, but van Gisbergen maintains discipline and battles teammate Ross Chastain, ultimately emerging as Trackhouse’s top finisher on outright speed rather than strategy roulette.

A three-wide squeeze off Turn 2 with William Byron inside and Alex Bowman outside leaves van Gisbergen aerodynamically pinched, nudging Bowman toward the wall and ending Bowman’s race.

Aside from that flashpoint, the drive is tidy and measured, yielding a career-best oval result. His previous benchmark is 12th at Martinsville last fall.

Earlier this season he posts 14th at the Coca-Cola 600 and Richmond, useful data points in his oval learning curve and race-run balance.

He calls the Kansas result “really cool” and praises Eliason’s calls and car speed, saying he is “over the moon” with the execution in a Red Bull-backed Chevrolet.

The run builds on New Hampshire, where he rose to fifth and banked his first oval stage points before a restart accident curtailed a promising afternoon.

Attention now shifts to the Charlotte Roval, the season’s final road course, where van Gisbergen enters as favorite after four consecutive road and street victories.

That versatility widens Trackhouse’s tactical options and underscores his relevance within the broader NASCAR Cup Series narrative as the field balances oval form against hybrid layouts.

It also strengthens his case alongside the top NASCAR drivers, while renewed attention on safety follows Bowman’s incident, including the role of fire suits and protective systems.

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John Martinez

John Martinez delivers real-time NASCAR Cup Series and Truck Series news, from live race updates to pit-lane strategy analysis. A graduate of the University of Northwestern Ohio’s Motorsports Technology program, he breaks down rule changes, driver tactics, and championship points with crystal-clear reporting.