Shane van Gisbergen’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway wasn’t short of drama. After the Trackhouse Racing driver was involved in an on-track incident with RCR’s Austin Hill, he issued an apology to him while also delivering a subtle dig. 

On lap 47 of the race, Hill was running in 28th place. While trying to defend his position against Gisbergen, who was behind him, he was hit by the No. 98 driver, who made contact with the left rear of the No. 33 car while coming out of Turn 3. While Hill drove his car back to the pit lane, SVG continued his race.

Gisbergen did not say anything on the radio, but while talking to the media post-race, he was questioned if he would talk to the RCR driver about the incident. He replied (in a video shared by Frontstretch on X), 

"I’ll talk to him, but he just grunts." 

However, the Kiwi driver also apologized to the RCR crew for causing the crash, saying:

"I was shooting for the bottom trying to get clean air. I was so tight, and he just chopped my nose and got in the wall. So, sorry about that. Sorry to his guys, they're always nice people, and it happens."

Many speculated whether the crash was intentional to get revenge on Hill after he wrecked SVG and his teammate, Connor Zilisch, in San Diego on June 21. When asked about this post-race, he simply said:

"No."

As of now, it remains to be seen if NASCAR will be taking any further action on the incident.

Shane van Gisbergen knocked out of In-Season Challenge

The Trackhouse Racing driver's bid for the In-Season Challenge came to an end at Chicagoland after he finished the race in 25th place.

The In-Season Challenge features a 32-driver bracket in which the drivers go head-to-head across five races beginning at Sonoma Raceway. The winner after the five rounds will walk away with a grand prize of $1 million, with the finale set to take place in Indianapolis.

Heading into Chicagoland, Shane van Gisbergen was pitted against Ryan Blaney. Unfortunately for SVG, the Team Penske driver was almost his usual great self on short ovals, and with a seventh-place finish, emerged victorious in the head-to-head at the Eero 400.

Although his bid for the In-Season Challenge has ended, SVG can now shift his focus to keeping himself in contention for the playoffs. Despite a 25th-place finish at Chicagoland, he remains 14th in the standings.

Read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yash Kotak