Shane van Gisbergen wins Xfinity Series pole award for Chicago Street Race
A great start to the NASCAR weekend for Shane van Gisbergen. The Kiwi just won the pole award for the Xfinity Series Chicago Street Race. He isn’t done today, either. SVG is about to hop in his Cup car to do it all again.
A busy Saturday for Shane van Gisbergen. First goal is out of the way, pole for Xfinity. Now he just needs one more pole and a win later today in the Xfinity race. Then go on and win Sunday for the weekend sweep.
Kyle Larson put up a great effort, but SVG beat him out by two-hundredths of a second. This is going to be a great battle.
This has been a wild Chicago Street Race weekend already. Practice began with a bizarre wreck that included Justin Allgaier and Alon Day. Allgaier wrecked himself into a tire barrier. Spotters did not communicate with Day quickly enough and he slammed into the back of the 7 car at full speed.
Besides that, it was the usual street race oopsies and moments. Spins, cars missing turns, and lots of contact with tire barriers.
Through it all, Shane van Gisbergen was fantastic as usual. He understands how to navigate these tight turns and how to enter and exit better than anyone else in the Xfinity or Cup Series.
This race is going to be challenging. It would be quite an upset, I believe, for anyone not named SVG to win this afternoon.
Shane van Gisbergen reminds everyone who he is
The Chicago Street Race is what catapulted Shane van Gisbergen into the NASCAR Cup Series. With an opportunity from Justin Marks and Trackhouse Racing, SVG went out there and took the win in his debut.
This year he is back and while everyone has had a chance to race this track at this point, van Gisbergen had to remind them that he knows things they do not know. When it comes to street racing, his road course skills are amplified, his attention to detail shines.
I think there are times on a road course when SVG gets bested by drivers who know how to use the NASCAR format better on the road. More physical into the turns, not being afraid to swing wide or off the course temporarily.
When it comes to Chicago, Shane van Gisbergen is in his element. The walls do not allow drivers to test the limits. It sets a very strict limit. In a battle of millimeters and thousandths of a second, SVG has the edge.