Shane van Gisbergen pulled away from Ty Gibbs on the 48th lap on his way to winning The Loop 110 on Saturday, his third victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He punctuated it by signing a football and punting it into the stands.
The 35-year-old New Zealand native also won the poll for the race, his second in 18 Xfinity races and first at the Chicago Street Race. Van Gisbergen surged past Jesse Love after a late restart with three laps to go.
In Stage 1, van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson battled for the No. 1 spot until van Gisbergen fell behind because of some pit choices. Though a minor setback caused him to fall to the middle of the pack, van Gisbergen said the pit stop prepared him for the rest of the race.
“That was a pretty awesome race,” he said. “My car was really weak. I couldn’t get going at the start. So [after] the restarts and then it takes two or three laps, and [Larson] would always pass me.”
The three-time Supercars champion in Australia led 14 of the 50 laps, tied with Jesse Love for the racetrack lead. Larson lauded van Gisbergen’s turning ability.
“He’s just really good, and he doesn’t ever touch anybody to get by them,” said Larson, who finished third. “That’s rare to see.”
With one race clinched, van Gisbergen doesn’t feel pressure heading into the Grant Park 165 on Sunday.
“I’ve just been treating it like every other week,” van Gisbergen said. “I’m more focused on the ovals at the moment. These things are kind of a holiday or a fun weekend. I still studied hard for this and wanted to be good at it.”
Learning Larson
During the race, van Gisbergen and Larson looked jubilant as the two drivers battled in Stage 1.
“Obviously I wanted to win today, but I wanted to learn more than anything and I wanted to get to battle with him,” Larson said. “He’s really good at creating shapes and angles and passing, and that was an objective of mine.”
Larson said he and the other racers recognize that van Gisbergen is stellar on street courses, but there’s no animosity toward the New Zealand native, mostly admiration.
Though Larson — who won the pole for the Grant Park 165 on Sunday — said there’s a plethora of talented drivers in the field, van Gisbergen is the man to beat.
“There are going to be a lot of other guys who are really good tomorrow,” Larson said. “Whether it’s him [van Gisbergen] or anybody else battling, I’ll be more confident and pull moves tomorrow.”
Grand marshal Chelios
Blackhawks legend Chris Chelios served as the grand marshal for the race Saturday, allowing him to reminisce about the 1990s.
“I’ll never forget the days MJ [Bulls legend Michael Jordan] was starting to get into his Ferrari kick and would take me down Madison Avenue at 120 miles an hour,” Chelios said.
Weather update
Saturday was a beautiful day for the Chicago Street Race after last year’s downpour ruined the festivities and the race. It was sunny and 77 degrees.
Sunday should be even warmer, with a high of 85 degrees.
