NASCAR
Shane van Gisbergen wins Inaugural Viva Mexico 250 by 16 Seconds
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – One of the most dominant drives in recent NASCAR history was put on display in Mexico City. The inaugural Viva Mexico 250 from Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez saw Shane van Gisbergen put together another road course clinic. 60 laps led and a gigantic winning margin highlighted the 88’s near-perfect afternoon. The Trackhouse Racing rookie is now Playoff-bound with this victory, and looks forward to more road courses on the horizon.
Polesitter Shane van Gisbergen was best in class under wet conditions for Stage 1. SVG opting to flip Stage 1 and short pit, however, gave this win to Ryan Preece. Deciding against flipping Stage 2 allowed the Trackhouse Racing No. 88 Chevrolet to take these points. The only major incident across both stages saw Kyle Busch spin under braking into turn one, taking out several innocent bystanders in his path.
A timely caution just after his final pit stop saw SVG cycle back to the point with 32 laps left. The hard-charging Ty Gibbs also pitted from the lead under this yellow, but was mired in the back half of the top-10. The No. 54 Toyota was arguably the only other car who could stay within SVG’s zip code.
With no caution over the race’s final stint, van Gisbergen’s lead continued to grow and grow. By the checkered flag, the 88 had a 16-second gap over second-place, taking home a very dominant second career Cup triumph.
“What a week,” van Gisbergen said. “I’ve really enjoyed myself here. I felt pretty rubbish today leaking out both holes. That wasn’t fun. Thank you to SafetyCulture, Trackhouse, Chevy, and ECR engines. Our car was amazing. I think the 54 was close, but that last stint, man, what a pleasure just ripping lap after lap and watching them get smaller in the mirror. Unreal.”
“I’ve been privileged to have some great ones in my time, but when I go slow I just lose concentration, so I was trying to stay in a rhythm and a routine. Josh and Stephen are doing such a great job keeping me calm and focused, and man, that was epic.”
A distant 16 seconds behind SVG’s rear bumper at the checkered flag was Christopher Bell, one spot shy of a fourth road course win. The Chevrolets of Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and Michael McDowell were the rest of the top-five. The top-10 were rounded out by: John Hunter Nemechek, Chase Briscoe, Cole Custer, William Byron, and Chris Buescher.
SVG is now the tenth man to lock up a Playoff position in 2025, simultaneously shifting up the cut line. The 88 was 33rd in points entering Mexico City, but now van Gisbergen is a top-16 driver. The last 10 weeks of the regular season will see three more road courses where SVG will try and repeat this performance.
Next on deck for the NASCAR Cup Series is The Tricky Triangle of Pocono Raceway. The Great American Getaway 400 marks race 17 of the season, as crunch time is here for the Playoff bubble battle. The Pennsylvania green flag flies Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on Prime Video, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
