NASCAR News: Shane van Gisbergen wins at Roval; Joey Logano lucks out

Shane van Gisbergen (pictured above) dominated the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course, securing his fifth consecutive NASCAR Cup Series road course victory. However, the race’s drama extended far beyond his commanding performance.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The playoff battle for the final Round of 8 spot stole the spotlight. In a chaotic last-lap move, Ross Chastain made a desperate dive in the frontstretch chicane, colliding with Denny Hamlin’s Toyota and spinning. Chastain reversed across the finish line, but it wasn’t enough. Defending champion Joey Logano, finishing 20th, clinched the final Round of 8 spot by a mere four points over Chastain.

Chastain’s day unraveled due to two costly pit road errors. At the first stage break, he overshot a 90-degree turn, losing 15 positions to restart 30th. Later, on Lap 87 of 109, a speeding penalty and a long run to the finish cost him crucial spots, sealing his playoff elimination. “I completely unraveled our day,” a dejected Chastain said, lamenting his mistakes despite the No. 1 Trackhouse Chevrolet’s speed.

Logano, relieved to advance, acknowledged the playoff intensity: “It’s the drama of the playoffs. If you want drama, the playoffs bring it every time.”

Alongside Chastain, pole-sitter Tyler Reddick (10th), Bubba Wallace (15th), and Austin Cindric (37th, after multiple issues) were also eliminated.

Van Gisbergen’s victory was no cakewalk. Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell challenged him fiercely, with Larson briefly taking the lead on Lap 63, followed by Bell.

The New Zealander, driving the No. 88 Trackhouse Chevrolet, regained control with a bold move on Larson in Turn 7’s hairpin and held off both after intense contact during the final laps. His tire management was masterful, completing the 59-lap final stage on two pit stops compared to three for his rivals, resulting in a 15.160-second win over Larson. “Kyle and Christopher got a little rough, but, man, the battle was awesome,” van Gisbergen said.

The Round of 8 field is set with Larson, Bell, William Byron, Chase Briscoe, Hamlin, Logano, and previous round winners Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott. Briscoe, battling illness, secured his spot with a 14th-place finish despite feeling dizzy and stuffing ice in his suit to cope. “It was good enough—that’s all we needed,” he said.

Non-playoff drivers Chris Buescher, Michael McDowell, Ryan Preece, and Daniel Suarez finished fourth through seventh, with Elliott, AJ Allmendinger, and Reddick rounding out the top 10. The Round of 8 begins with the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next Sunday (5:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR Cup Series Race – Bank of America ROVAL 400 Results

1. (2)  Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 109.
2. (4)  Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet, 109.
3. (7)  Christopher Bell (P), Toyota, 109.
4. (5)  Chris Buescher, Ford, 109.
5. (6)  Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 109.
6. (29)  Ryan Preece, Ford, 109.
7. (20)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 109.
8. (15)  Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 109.
9. (9)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 109.
10. (1)  Tyler Reddick (P), Toyota, 109.
11. (13)  William Byron (P), Chevrolet, 109.
12. (3)  Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 109.
13. (11)  Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 109.
14. (8)  Chase Briscoe (P), Toyota, 109.
15. (12)  Bubba Wallace (P), Toyota, 109.
16. (33)  Josh Berry, Ford, 109.
17. (31)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, 109.
18. (25)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 109.
19. (26)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 109.
20. (17)  Joey Logano (P), Ford, 109.
21. (10)  Ross Chastain (P), Chevrolet, 109.
22. (18)  Cole Custer, Ford, 109.
23. (14)  Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, 109.
24. (24)  Zane Smith, Ford, 109.
25. (21)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 109.
26. (35)  John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 109.
27. (16)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 108.
28. (30)  Noah Gragson, Ford, 108.
29. (27)  Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 108.
30. (23)  Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 108.
31. (37)  Erik Jones, Toyota, 108.
32. (36)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 108.
33. (34)  Josh Bilicki(i), Ford, 108.
34. (32)  Cody Ware, Ford, 108.
35. (28)  Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 100.
36. (22)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, Drivetrain, 89.
37. (19)  Austin Cindric (P), Ford, 87.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  81.105 mph.

Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 3 Mins, 51 Secs. Margin of Victory:  15.160 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  3 for 10 laps.

Lead Changes:  15 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   *. Reddick (P) 1-3;S. Van Gisbergen # 4-14;C. Buescher 15-19;S. Van Gisbergen # 20-27;A. Allmendinger 28-40;S. Van Gisbergen # 41-48;R. Blaney (P) 49-52;S. Van Gisbergen # 53-62;K. Larson (P) 63-71;S. Van Gisbergen # 72-73;K. Larson (P) 74-86;S. Van Gisbergen # 87-91;K. Larson (P) 92-95;S. Van Gisbergen # 96;K. Larson (P) 97;S. Van Gisbergen # 98-109.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Shane Van Gisbergen # 8 times for 57 laps; Kyle Larson (P) 4 times for 27 laps; AJ Allmendinger 1 time for 13 laps; Chris Buescher 1 time for 5 laps; Ryan Blaney (P) 1 time for 4 laps; * Tyler Reddick (P) 1 time for 3 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 88,5,54,20,1,71,19,9,24,10

Stage #2 Top Ten: 12,45,9,1,88,5,20,22,99,41