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A historic NASCAR weekend ended in the only way it could — a guest driver made his debut, captured the win, and made history for Trackhouse Racing.
Shane van Gisbergen made his NASCAR Cup Series debut on the streets of Chicago, and he led nine total laps before winning for Project 91 and Trackhouse Racing. This win took place one week after Ross Chastain won at Nashville Superspeedway, and it marked the first time in the organization’s history that it won back-to-back races.
Van Gisbergen became the sixth driver born outside the United States to win a NASCAR Cup Series race. He joined Marcos Ambrose (Australia), Mario Andretti (Italy), Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia), Earl Ross (Canada), and Daniel Suarez (Mexico).
Along with joining this historic list, van Gisbergen accomplished something that hasn’t happened since the 1963 season. He became the first person since Johnny Rutherford at Daytona in 1963 to win in his Cup Series debut. He also joined Jim Roper (the first NASCAR race), Jack White, Harold Kite, Leon Sales, and Marvin Burke.
The Respect Drew Attention From Drivers & Analysts
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GettyShane van Gisbergen does a burnout in Chicago.
Van Gisbergen, the three-time Supercars champion, delivered a masterful performance during his NASCAR debut. He secured a spot on the second row during qualifying and then he went out and ran inside the top three throughout the first stage. Van Gisbergen then recovered from being on the wrong side of pit stop strategy, which dropped him to 18th overall with 20 laps remaining.
The veteran driver steadily worked his way through the field while Justin Haley and Chase Elliott battled for the lead in the final stage. He had the fastest Chevrolet, and he used to it chase them down and make the all-important passes. To cap off the day, van Gisbergen survived NASCAR overtime to cap off a historic weekend.
“Wow, when we had that back strategy back to 18th I started to worry a bit,” van Gisbergen said after the race. “But [I] had some full stands on some people, and the racing was really good, everyone was respectful. It was tough but a lot of fun.”
With SVG’s experience on street courses and the speed of the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro, it was expected that he would go up there and challenge for the win. However, the way he took control of the race drew attention.
SVG did not move Elliott, Haley, Busch, or any of the other Cup Series drivers out of the way. He just used his driving skills to pass them and take the lead. He showed respect while keeping the car clean. For example, Dale Jarrett and Brad Daugherty both spent extensive time after the race talking about how SVG was respectful on the track.
“He put on a show and it was cool to see, and I think when a guy like that can come in and kick your ass at your own game, it shows that we all have room to improve,” Kyle Larson said about van Gisbergen during a post-race press conference.
“I’m curious what he thinks about us. He obviously passed a lot of us, so I’m curious if he thinks we all suck or if we could actually like compete if we weren’t really that bad.”
“Shane was just better,” Haley added. “He had 16 or something lap better tires. Just a world-class racer. He was very calculated, very precise, and very smooth. He wasn’t overdriving it. He was very calculated.
“For someone to come in and race like that was just incredible. Very clean, as well. Our race for the lead was clean, and he gave a lot of room and very respectful.”
A Championship-Winning Crew Chief Returned to Victory Lane
Having SVG come in and win his NASCAR debut was one thing; having him deliver a historic win for Trackhouse Racing was another. He also brought a championship-winning crew chief back to Victory Lane.
Darian Grubb, a veteran with 334 Cup Series races on his resume, has been in charge of the Project 91 group since its inception. He has primarily worked with Kimi Raikkonen while getting the project off the ground, but he joined forces with SVG for the Chicago Street Race.
This partnership led to Grubb celebrating in Victory Lane for the first time since the 2015 season when he and Carl Edwards won the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500. The win was the 24th overall of his Cup Series career, which also includes celebrations with Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Casey Mears, and Denny Hamlin.
Five of these wins took place during a unique 2011 season. Grubb and Stewart won five of the final 10 races, and they capped off the year as Cup Series champions.
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