Shane van Gisbergen entered the Southern 500 with a comfortable 16-point buffer over the playoff elimination line, but after finishing 32nd, he now holds only a slim three-point margin. The New Zealand driver ended the race near the bottom among playoff contenders and dropped to 12th place in the standings, putting his continuation in the Round of 16 at serious risk. His ongoing Shane van Gisbergen playoff struggles have become increasingly apparent as the pressure intensifies.
Early in the event, van Gisbergen ran solidly inside the top 15, showing promise. However, a poorly timed caution flag during Stage 2, coupled with a strategic decision to stay on track too long, caused him to fall back in the pack. After that, the No. 88 Chevrolet struggled to find any comfort or pace throughout the remainder of the race.
Major Pit Adjustments Highlight Challenges with Car Handling
The pivotal moment occurred during pit stops, where efforts to fix the car’s poor balance stretched the team’s strategy to its limit. NASCAR veteran mechanic Bozi Tatarevic detailed the difficulties faced behind the scenes, explaining that the problems were rooted in ongoing attempts to solve handling issues rather than pit crew errors.
“Shane was unhappy with the handling of the car, so they were throwing so many changes at it. And on lap 118, they decided to do a big, big adjustment on the left front. Basically to change the balance of the car, change some rounds and that resulted in a 54-second pit stop.” —Bozi Tatarevic, NASCAR mechanic
This massive pit stop devastated track position, making it nearly impossible for van Gisbergen to recover in the race. Later, further adjustments similarly prolonged pit time:
“They had similar adjustments later on, on lap 205. That was another 35-second stop. Same type of situation. Left front wheel off, mechanic in there making tweaks, making adjustments. And that’s, maybe changing rounds or maybe changing shock settings. Who knows? But the car was very ill-handling based on SVG’s description. So, they threw a lot at it,” —Bozi Tatarevic, NASCAR mechanic
Other stops, generally lasting 10 to 11 seconds, involved smaller attempts to improve the car. Tatarevic stressed that the pit crew’s performance remained efficient despite these challenges. The issues stemmed from the car’s unstable balance, which no amount of setup adjustments could fully resolve during the race.
Driver Frustration Reflects in Post-Race Comments
Shane van Gisbergen himself acknowledged the day’s struggles after the race, noting the car’s lack of responsiveness compared to previous sessions.
“Our car was very different from yesterday. Stephen (Doran, crew chief) didn’t give up on tuning on it, but we just couldn’t make it better. We tried something different with strategy but got a caution at the wrong time and couldn’t rebound from it.” —Shane van Gisbergen, driver
Despite the team’s persistence, van Gisbergen’s effort resulted in his lowest finish compared to his Trackhouse Racing teammates, emphasizing the difficulty of the Southern 500 for the Kiwi contender.
Playoff Position Under Threat Ahead of Gateway Raceway
With the poor result from the Southern 500, van Gisbergen’s standing has dropped precariously to 12th place in the NASCAR playoffs. Holding 2,027 points but just three above the elimination threshold, the driver is now in a delicate position despite his four victories during the regular season. Inconsistent performances on oval tracks have become a major liability as the playoff battles intensify.
His next challenge approaches quickly at Gateway, the site of the Enjoy Illinois 300 on September 7 at World Wide Technology Raceway. This 1.25-mile oval is unusual in its layout, featuring flat corners on one end and tighter banking on the other, creating a unique challenge for drivers like van Gisbergen, who will be making his debut start on the track.
As the playoffs progress, the upcoming races at Gateway and beyond will be critical in determining whether Shane van Gisbergen’s impressive rookie campaign maintains momentum or ends unexpectedly early under the mounting pressure.
