Shane van Gisbergen excited to race Kyle Larson in Cup Series after epic Xfinity Series battle in Chicago
The NASCAR Xfinity Series gave us one of the best road/street course races we have seen. Shane van Gisbergen, of course, came out on top. However, he had to outduel NASCAR’s best in Kyle Larson to do it.
Shane van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson put on a heavyweight fight in Stage 1 of The Loop 110 today. Crossovers, bold moves, and more. It was one of the best shows of racecraft and sportsmanship that you will see in a NASCAR race.
In the end, SVG came out on top with the trophy. Kyle Larson ended up P3 behind Ty Gibbs. The way van Gisbergen moved through traffic separated him from Larson late in this one.
After the race, SVG was all smiles. He had fun and came out with the win, doesn’t get better than that.
“That’s awesome what a great race it was pretty wild there at the end,” Shane van Gisbergen said. “I can’t think the Kaulig Racing guys enough, our WeatherTech Camaro was amazing. Great race at the start with Kyle he was really good on the restarts and we made our car better for the second set of tires but, woo! That was fun at the end passing all those guys I had some great racing with everyone.”
Then he talked about the battle with Larson. It was one he hopes to recreate on Sunday.
“It was cool! We were waving at each other, thumbs up, and really respectful but big moves. He was amazing on the brakes and on the bumps. Really cool, learnt a lot and he probably learned a lot off me but yeah, hope to race him again for the win tomorrow.”
As for his feelings on Chicago? He loves the city and this race.
“This event is amazing what NASCAR’s done here, it’s what a show. So, pretty cool feelings, hopefully, we can repeat tomorrow.”
Shane van Gisbergen wins at Chicago
Two times on the streets of Chicago and two checkered flags. Shane van Gisbergen was once again excellent in the Xfinity Series. This is the second NASCAR race on the streets of Chicago that SVG has won in a row.
Of course, the big race, and the title defense from 2023, will be on Sunday. Today, he outdueled Ty Gibbs and Kyle Larson to win his third Xfinity Series race of the season, his third road/street course win in a row in the series.
One lucky fan in Chicago got an autographed rugby ball after this one! What a race, what a finish, and what a damn racer! If you didn’t watch today’s The Loop 110 you missed out on a great race.
It was a gorgeous day in the Windy City. Rain did not even come across the minds of anyone involved in today’s events. Practice, qualifying, the race – everything went off without a hitch. There was enough chaos to make things interesting throughout the day.