Top Dog: Shane van Gisbergen
The recurring theme following all four of Shane van Gisbergen‘s runs of annihilation on road courses this season has been, “If this guy figures out ovals, then [fill in the blank].”
Well, after the New Zealander delivered a 10th-place finish at Kansas Speedway on Sunday (Sept. 28) for his first career top 10 on an oval, it may not be time to roll out the red carpet, but we’re getting awfully close.
There’s no exaggerating the sheer talent SVG possesses to adapt to new surroundings quickly, and he continues to show evidence of that on the Cup scene in his first full-time campaign.
But this wasn’t just an ordinary top 10 that van Gisbergen used to reach a milestone. It was the effort it took to get there that deserves a few more raised eyebrows.
Start with the fact that van Gisbergen had to begin the race by serving a stop-and-go penalty on pit road due to inspection infractions, as well as losing his crew chief Stephen Doran. That immediately put the No. 88 team behind the 8-ball, as he understandably fell a lap down following the stoppage.
After remaining trapped a lap down through stage one’s conclusion, van Gisbergen received the free pass on lap 90 after a crash, setting him up to restart from 35th.
Like those rugby balls he punts when he wins, van Gisbergen took off on a charge from there. By the end of stage two, the No. 88 Red Bull machine found itself inside the top 20, with van Gisbergen improving to 19th at the green and white checkered flag.
During the final stage, van Gisbergen continued to plug away methodically, reaching the top 15, and then finding himself in the top 10 late in the race. Despite sandwiching Alex Bowman into the turn 2 wall on lap 227 after some contact, van Gisbergen continued to march inside the top 10, running eighth when the penultimate caution flew with less than 10 laps remaining.
An overtime restart frenzy could have easily ruined a great run for the Auckland, New Zealand native, but van Gisbergen beared down and would not be denied his first oval top 10.
Over roughly the past month, the No. 88 team has quietly shown improvement on the ovals. A 14th-place run at Richmond Raceway drew some attention, and the argument was strengthened even more when van Gisbergen reached the top five a week ago at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, only to get caught up in a wreck.
Though he was eliminated from the playoffs following the Round of 16, the goal to improve on ovals frames a clear mission for van Gisbergen in the remainder of the season. By all accounts, we are going to see a much more dangerous van Gisbergen in 2026.
Notable Underdog Runs
Kansas has been a wolf in sheep’s clothing when it comes to its track perception. As much of a cookie-cutter as it may seem, don’t be fooled. Just look at the final 15 laps of Sunday’s race.
A contagious case of turmoil unfolded in the late stages of the race, opening the door for several underdogs to capitalize.
One of those was Todd Gilliland, who was on a trajectory to have a dismal result. Instead, he and the No. 34 team kept grinding away, and they were rewarded with a 12th-place result.
Stage finishes of 33rd and 29th stymied Gilliland in the first half of the race. However, after getting a lost lap back and making gains on his car, Gilliland worked his way into the top 20. Down the stretch, Gilliland avoided multiple accidents and received the free pass again with 14 laps left to set up his run to a top 15.
It matches Gilliland’s best result at the 1.5-mile track from a 12th-place run in the spring, and he has back-to-back top 20s for the first time since the spring Kansas race and Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
No. 13 was lucky for Ty Dillon in the Sunflower State, who closed out his day in that slot to earn his best Kansas finish.
Like Gilliland, Dillon was mired outside the top 25 in the first two frames as a result of a tight-handling car and poor track position from a 33rd-place starting spot.
Avoiding a cording issue at the end of stage two, Dillon ran just outside the top 20 until a pileup ensued on a restart with less than 50 laps to go. While his Kaulig Racing teammate AJ Allmendinger was wrapped up in the crash, Dillon scooted through to keep his race alive.
The Welcome, N.C. native flirted with the top 15 over the final couple of runs before an overtime restart set him up in 18th. In those two laps, Dillon gained five spots to finish 13th and earned his first top 15 since July.
Not only did van Gisbergen have to begin the race with a stop-and-go penalty, but so did Michael McDowell, who also had a post-inspection infraction prior to the race.
McDowell rebounded to get the free pass following stage one, but he struggled to find positive momentum, finishing stage two in 27th.
Adjustments made for the final stage served McDowell well, who drove into the top 20 in the closing moments of the race. Avoiding the melee that broke out over the final 15 laps, McDowell brought his car home in one piece with a 14th-place finish, his fourth consecutive top 20 and seventh in the last eight races.
Erik Jones continued the theme of recoveries, surging back from a penalty for an uncontrolled tire to finish 16th.
The Legacy Motor Club driver displayed plenty of speed in practice for the 267-lap event, furthering that belief with a 10th-place qualifying run. However, the No. 43 lacked grip in the opening stage, sinking Jones to 23rd after 80 circuits.
It initially got worse from there, with Jones being hit with the penalty during green flag stops in the second stage, dropping him two laps down. However, after avoiding the accidents and taking the wave around on two separate occasions, Jones got back in the ballgame. He took four fresh tires after a caution with eight laps to go, setting him up to drive to 16th by the end.
Drivers such as Justin Haley and Cole Custer were also able to capitalize on others’ misfortunes with top-20 runs of their own, but perhaps the defining moment of the race for the underdogs relates to anything but a good result.
Zane Smith had admitted to circling Kansas on his calendar for a while, believing the No. 38 team could reach the top 10. After getting as high as eighth in the final stage, it looked as though he would be proven right.
However, after getting shuffled outside the top 10 following a restart with less than 10 laps remaining, Smith was on the unfortunate end of another twister of a highlight that Kansas has become notorious for producing.
On the first overtime attempt, Smith was racing mid-pack when John Hunter Nemechek got loose, making contact with Smith’s left rear. Replay only caught Smith’s car after the contact, but the first view of the No. 38 saw the car on its left side sliding through turns 3 and 4. The car then slid down the banking and barrel-rolled twice before coming to rest.
“[I’ve] never flipped a stock car,” Smith told Frontstretch.
Fortunately, the Front Row Motorsports driver exited the car and walked away under his own power, a massive relief and testament to increased safety in the sport after such a vicious incident.
Underdog Power Rankings
1. Carson Hocevar (–): Had it not been for a couple of incidents down the stretch, Hocevar looked to be on his way to potentially his first Kansas top 10. Instead, he will have to swallow a 29th-place result and head to the Charlotte ROVAL, where he finished 12th in his debut a year ago.
2. McDowell (–): The mass chaos at the end deepened the well of fortune for McDowell, whose incredible recovery from starting the race under penalty keeps the momentum rolling for the No. 71 team. That only makes the accomplished road racers more of a threat at the ROVAL, though he has yet to land a top 10 there in seven tries.
3. van Gisbergen (NR): As the theme of this article implies, the full-blown arrival of van Gisbergen to Cup success feels more eminent with his first oval top 10. And for the rest of the field, that milestone couldn’t have come at a worse time, as SVG will look to earn his fifth consecutive road course win of the season at the ROVAL.
4. Jones (NR): A recovery from the uncontrolled tire penalty to a top 20 put a bow on a somewhat rocky, yet moderately fruitful weekend for Jones and company. Though recent history forecasts a mountainous climb for Jones at the ROVAL, he finished third there in 2020.
5. Smith (-2): The wildest ride of Smith’s career imploded what was setting up to be an efficient day for the No. 38 bunch. Now, he will look to bounce back, and keep his wheels on the ground, at the ROVAL, where he finished 19th a year ago.
Honorable Mentions: Haley, Noah Gragson, Dillon
Small Team Scheme of the Week
Kansas is home to potato chip producer Guy’s Snacks Corporation, so how about some dip to go with those chips? That would be provided, courtesy of Gilliland’s No. 34 team, which featured Dean’s Dip on his Ford Mustang.
Green race cars have superstitiously been associated with bad luck in racing, but that was not the case for Gilliland, who gutted his way to the aforementioned 12th-place showing.
Entering his fifth year with Frontstretch, Luken Glover is the author of The Underdog House, shedding light on the motivation and performance of NASCAR's dark horse teams as they strive to fight to the top. Additionally, Glover reports for the site at various events, and he contributes in the video editing department.
A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a middle school math and PE teacher, as well as a basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.