Shane van Gisbergen endured a tough weekend at Darlington, the track dubbed 'Too Tough to Tame'. The Trackhouse Racing driver complained of a lack of grip throughout the 267-lap NASCAR Cup Series race, which left him to settle for a 26th-place finish.
“I don't know how to say it. I've never felt so slow,” van Gisbergen said over the team radio during a competition caution on Lap 36. “It felt like I had 120-lap-old tyres when I started. I had no grip. No positives at all. My balance was okay but my grip was just so low.”
That complaint set the tone for the rest of the night. Van Gisbergen spent the majority of the race at the back while the team made drastic setup changes. He ended up the best of the three Trackhouse Racing drivers, with teammates Ross Chastain and Connor Zilisch finishing 27th and 34th, respectively.
A bright moment for van Gisbergen came when he learned of Scott McLaughlin's IndyCar Series win at Laguna Seca. “Hell yeah!” he cheered over the radio, showing his competitive spirit remained intact despite a disappointing race.
Meanwhile, victory at Darlington went to Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing. Bell ended a streak of seven runner-up finishes this season to claim his first win of the year. His last win before Darlington was at Bristol in the 29th race of the 2025 season. “It's been too damn long,” said Bell. “I'm just so, so proud of all of these guys on this #20 car. The mechanics and pit crew members deserve it more than anyone.”
Bell also reflected on his recovery from a wrist injury that threatened his season. “When I was sitting in the infield car centre at Michigan, I thought my season was over,” he recalled. “I thought I was going to be out a couple of weeks and miss the Chase. But we're still in it, baby!”
The race was also marked by rain that triggered a caution and red flag on Lap 338. Kyle Larson led the restart with 24 laps to go, but Bell, on fresher tyres, overtook him on Lap 357 and never looked back.
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