NASCAR
SVG Earns Road Course Four-peat in Watkins Glen Redemption Run
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – After last year’s tough final lap loss at Watkins Glen, Shane van Gisbergen hardly put a wheel wrong this time. Starting second and taking the lead on lap 25, SVG rarely ever looked back in another road course clinic. Now a four-time winner this season, the No. 88 continues to bank up Playoff bonus points that could be very valuable this fall.
From the pole, Ryan Blaney was dominant in Stage 1 ahead of Shane van Gisbergen, until they both opted to short pit. This handed all-important points to Playoff bubble driver and defending Watkins Glen winner Chris Buescher. Stage 2 was likewise won by Blaney after similar undercutting pit road strategies aplenty.
Continued road course strategy saw SVG make his final pit stop on lap 63, and take command back with 16 circuits left. This final stint saw SVG’s lead balloon to a whopping 11-second gap over a hard charging Christopher Bell. SVG’s seemingly improbable road course acumen remains undefeated with a fourth-straight win.
“Oh, man, good to get that one back,” van Gisbergen said. “Thank you for coming out. What an awesome race. The last time was a bit. We cleared out, but the battle coming back through, I had a lot of fun. Thank you to WeatherTech, Trackhouse, the car was just amazing again, to get another win and I definitely gave that bus stop wall another meter on that last lap, so yeah, awesome.”
“Oh, it’s just amazing to have [his dad] here. It’s been a very tough year for dad. Yeah, he hasn’t been able to travel, so to have him here for the next three weeks and share this with him. It’s amazing.”
“That’s the stuff you dream about, right? And I’m just a very lucky guy to get to drive for an amazing bunch of people and just execute, man. The day just went flawlessly and I can’t believe it really enjoyed it and thanks again, everyone.”
“Who knows [about the Playoffs], but it ain’t gonna be easy, that’s for sure. The first round has some very difficult left handed tracks for me, but I’m getting better at it and I’m enjoying myself and it’s a challenge, you know, but that’s why we’re here and we’ll have a proper crack.”
Christopher Bell just got by Chris Buescher for the runner-up spot on the last lap, both just beat out William Byron and Chase Briscoe. The rest of the Watkins Glen top-10 were: Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Ross Chastain.
His fourth win of the season vaults van Gisbergen up to the second Playoff seed. Three spots remain open in the 16-man dance with only two regular season races left.
The last regular season short track race is next on deck Saturday night. 400 laps around Richmond Raceway will write the next chapter of the 2025 NASCAR season, a lot is on the line for the entire field. The Cook Out 400 goes green Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
