Shane van Gisbergen achieved his best result of his 2024 part-time NASCAR Cup Series campaign, finishing runner-up in a dramatic overtime finish at Watkins Glen.
The Kaulig Racing driver looked set to repeat his 2023 Chicago Street Race heroics when he hit the front by nudging Chris Buescher aside at Turn 1 at the start of overtime, only for the #17 driver to return serve on the final lap to retake the lead.
Van Gisbergen pursued Buescher on the run to the chequered flag but got sideways exiting the penultimate corner, paving the way for the latter to win by less than a second.
Having qualified third, van Gisbergen ran with the front group for most of the race, only briefly dropping down during the pit cycle in the final stage.
As it happened
Green flag racing lasted less than one lap off the start, with Kyle Busch turned into a spin by Corey LaJoie at the inner loop. The incident also caught out Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Ryan Preece, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, and Zane Smith and resulted in Blaney needing a tow back to the garage with a broken steering column.
Racing resumed on Lap 6, and AJ Allmendinger dropped out of the top five and was forced back into the garage with mechanical issues.
Van Gisbergen had started well and ran amongst the front runners early before passing Martin Truex Jr. on Lap 14. The 2023 Chicago Street Race winner stopped on Lap 17 before the end of Stage 1, and early leader Ross Chastain followed a tour later.
Truex Jr went on to win the opening stage from Alex Bowman and Chase Briscoe, with van Gisbergen taking the green and white chequered in 15th.
Van Gisbergen climbed to second during the end-of-stage caution but opted for the inside lane for the restart to drop to third.
He ran in the lead group for the entire second stage, which ended early when Daniel Suarez spun at Turn 6 and stranded in a sand trap on Lap 38.
The leaders did not have time to pit before the delay, which saw Chastain win Stage 2 from van Gisbergen and Joey Logano.
Van Gisbergen chose the outside lane for the restart and retained second behind Chastain.
The next caution came on Lap 47 when Hamlin was turned into the wall by Keselowski, who was squeezed into a three-wide battle involving Kyle Larson.
Van Gisbergen again opted for the outside lane on the restart and slotted back in behind Chastain.
On tyres 19 laps fresher than the lead two, Buescher was moving forward, passing the Kiwi entry for second entering the inner loop on Lap 57 and taking the lead off Chastain shortly after.
The duo responded by stopping under green on Lap 58, and Buescher followed from the lead one tour later. The green flag stop saw van Gisbergen return to racing outside the top 30, but he quickly worked back through the field and, as others stopped, climbed to sixth on Lap 71.
Four laps later, he was back into the top three, behind only Buescher and Logano. The #16 Chevrolet was up to second on Lap 76 before the race went back to yellow on Lap 80 when a shredded left rear for Jeb Burton left debris on the circuit.
Van Gisbergen lined up second on the inside row for the Lap 84 restart and slotted into third behind Buescher and Carson Hocevar when racing resumed.
Contact between Logano and Keselowski sent the latter into the path of William Byron, who ended up with his front right on top of Keselowski’s car, bringing another caution.
Green flag racing was again short-lived, with a multi-car incident bringing the yellows back shortly after the Lap 88 restart.
The incident occurred when Larson blocked Todd Gilliland, sending him into Chase Elliott and Josh Berry. Truex Jr. made contact with the outside wall, and Tyler Reddick and Busch spun and made heavy contact in Turn 3, sending the race into overtime.
Van Gisbergen lined up second on the inside row for the restart and nudged Buescher aside to take the lead through Turn 1. The Kiwi was first to greet the white flag but got loose through the bus stop chicane on the final lap, which brought Buescher back into contention.
The #17 nudged the #16 off line to take the lead, which he would not relinquish.
Van Gisbergen pursued Buescher relentlessly through the final corners but got sideways at the penultimate turn and was forced to lift to retain control.
He would finish nine-tenths behind the winner and two seconds ahead of Hocevar, who completed the top three.
Chastain and Zane Smith completed the top five, while Briscoe was the first playoff contender home in sixth.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns with a night race at Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend.
Header Image: Kaulig Racing
