Shane van Gisbergen blows engine, night goes up in smoke at Daytona
Shane van Gisbergen’s NASCAR Cup Series debut at Daytona was certainly one to forget.
On Lap 80 of Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400, van Gisbergen’s No. 16 Chevrolet went up in smoke down the backstretch. Tons of smoke came out of the back of van Gisbergen’s car all the way down to pit road where an official put out a small fire coming out of his car.
van Gisbergen, 35, was making just his fifth Cup Series start of the season and first of seven more he’s scheduled to make to end the current campaign. van Gisbergen, who won last year’s Chicago Street Race in his Cup Series debut, has competed full-time in the Xfinity Series this season for Kaulig Racing in partnership with Trackhouse Racing. He is the only driver in the Xfinity Series with three wins (Portland, Sonoma, Chicago), and sits 12th in the points standings.
Shane van Gisbergen’s banner day turns south at Daytona
Prior to his run at Daytona coming to a premature end, Saturday was shaping up to be a banner day for the New Zealand native. In fact, it still is, as Trackhouse announced he will pilot the No. 88 Chevrolet full-time in the Cup Series in 2025.
Yes, the double eight, a car driven by several Hall of Famers over the years including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Darrell Waltrip to name a few. Alex Bowman was the last driver to pilot the No. 88 in the Cup Series, but for the decade prior to his three-year run behind the wheel, it was all Earnhardt’s.
Trackhouse owner Justin Marks said that he consulted with Earnhardt as well as Hendrick Motorsports about reviving the No. 88 car. Earnhardt gave his blessing, as was the case a few years ago when Marks went to Carl Edwards first before opting to give the No. 99 to Daniel Suárez.
“This is a big day in so many ways for Trackhouse Racing, Shane, Chevrolet, and race fans around the world,” Marks said. “This is an important step for our organization and it’s a credit to the men and women at Trackhouse Racing whose hard work and success the last few years has led to us expanding to three Cup teams in 2025.
“It’s also a big step up for Shane who took a chance on Trackhouse Racing, moved here from New Zealand and now joins the most competitive stock car racing series in the world. Everyone will get to watch one of the world’s racing superstars compete in the NASCAR Cup Series next year.”