Shane van Gisbergen’s bid to make NASCAR history ran just short on Sunday at the Circuit of The Americas, as he finished second and highlighted his growing list of Shane van Gisbergen NASCAR achievements. Competing in the DuraMax Texas Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne, van Gisbergen pushed hard in the closing laps, but Tyler Reddick ultimately secured the win in Austin, Texas.
Van Gisbergen’s Pursuit of Consecutive Road Course Wins Falls Short
Hoping to equal Jeff Gordon’s record of six consecutive road course victories in the NASCAR Cup Series, van Gisbergen started from 13th position and made his way into contention as the race progressed. Despite leading two laps and a strong effort in the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, he could not catch Tyler Reddick after the final restart with 16 laps to go. Reddick crossed the finish line nearly four seconds ahead of van Gisbergen, claiming his third consecutive win to open the 2026 season.
Improvements, Reflection, and Points Standing
Reflecting on the result, van Gisbergen commented,
“It’s weird to be disappointed with second, but yeah, this series is just at a high level,”
said Shane van Gisbergen, driver. He noted the team’s progress over the race weekend and acknowledged Reddick’s performance in the closing laps:
“I felt OK. We got our Safety Culture Chevy a lot better than yesterday, but just following Tyler, his driving was immaculate, and his car was very good too. I tried but didn’t quite have enough. But still a great points day for the 97.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Driver.
This runner-up finish at Circuit of The Americas, combined with a sixth-place result at EchoPark Speedway the previous week—his top effort on an oval so far—marks two top-10 finishes in a row for the New Zealand native. The sequence underscores van Gisbergen’s swift adaptation to NASCAR and cements recent successes for Trackhouse Racing and Chevrolet.
Looking Ahead to Phoenix Raceway
The NASCAR Cup Series next heads to Phoenix Raceway for its first traditional oval challenge of the year. Scheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET, the event will be covered by FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. As van Gisbergen continues to build his stateside racing reputation, all eyes will be on whether he can translate his recent road course speed into continued success on NASCAR’s oval tracks.
