Top Dog: Shane van Gisbergen
EchoPark Speedway is a racetrack unlike anywhere else in the world. Though a drafting-style track by nature, drivers have to modulate the throttle and handle their cars much more than at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Still new to oval racing, these conditions played into Shane van Gisbergen’s hands.
Now with over two years of experience in oval racing, van Gisbergen has been improving month after month. He has gone from driving on defense to maintaining position to now being on offense and taking positions.
SVG hovered around the top 10 at Atlanta for the majority of the race, earning the best result of the night for Trackhouse Racing. Van Gisbergen and his No. 97 team made a late strategy gamble that paid off, gaining spots over the course of a run and putting themselves in position for a potential win. SVG ultimately finished sixth, matching his result at the 1.54-mile track in February, and stabilized him regarding the Chase bubble.
The Climb to the Top
The No. 97 team started the weekend ahead of the eight-ball, qualifying 12th. The race started strangely, with packs separating and handling being a major issue for many drivers. Van Gisbergen slipped back from where he started and finished the caution-free stage one in 16th.
The team regrouped for the start of the second stage. With the packs sticking closer together, van Gisbergen picked off cars one by one. On lap 96, SVG made it into 10th. It wouldn’t last too long, as he dropped to 12th when the caution for lightning came out. Nevertheless, the pace was there.
The 10th to 13th range was where SVG spent most of the run, occasionally sliding a spot higher or lower. He was running 11th on the final lap of stage two when Bubba Wallace spun in front, bringing van Gisbergen into 10th at the stage’s end.
SVG began the final stage in eighth and remained in the top 10 for most of the run. At lap 190, van Gisbergen entered the top five. He made it to fourth when the caution flew for a spinning AJ Allmendinger with 67 laps to go. Pitting from here would get a driver to the end on fuel.
SVG restarted in 14th place. With 43 laps to go, the No. 97 made it into the top 10. Throughout the run, he fell outside the top 10 a few times and ran 11th when a caution came out with 29 laps to go. Despite being good on fuel, van Gisbergen and many others pitted for tires. The first 11 cars stayed out, some cars took two right-side tires (including the No. 97 team) and others took four tires.
At the drop of the green, it was apparent that the No. 97 was handling well compared to those on older tires. Van Gisbergen wrapped the bottom as the best of anyone up front. When a caution for Kyle Larson came out with 19 laps to go, van Gisbergen was in seventh.
As the race got later, SVG got more aggressive, making passes low, in the middle, and high. He ran close to the front when the biggest wreck of the night occurred, setting up an overtime restart. Lined up third on the high line for the restart, and with newer tires, SVG had a chance to pull off a major upset.
The restart went well. Entering turn 4 coming to the white flag, van Gisbergen went to the middle, forcing it three-wide for second, but with cars on both sides, the No. 97 lost momentum from the side-draft. Surviving the frantic final lap, SVG crossed the finish line seventh, but was promoted to sixth due to Wallace being penalized and scored as the last driver on the lead lap.
Though a relatively clean Atlanta race, it was a frantic one. The No. 97 team did what they needed to do, surviving all the laps and maximizing their potential.
Looking Ahead
With van Gisbergen entering this week only 30 points above the Chase cutoff, he needed to have a good week. He now has a 31-point gap.
A good result gives the No. 97 car a later spot in the qualifying order, usually accompanied by better track conditions, enabling a faster qualifying lap and thus a better starting spot. With flat tracks being SVG’s strength on ovals, North Wilkesboro Speedway could be another chance to increase the gap over the Chase cutoff.
Top Dogs of the Lower Series
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: The O’Reilly Atlanta race was a wild one. Looking at the top 10 finishers, nearly half of them could be considered underdogs, but Jeremy Clements stands out. Qualifying 14th, the No. 51 Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet was fast and could also maneuver in the draft. Clements made it as high as second in the first stage and finished both stages one and two in sixth. Chaos was unleashed in the final stage, with Clements surviving most of it until spinning inside of 34 laps to go, bringing out the caution.
Clements rallied back, dodged accidents and found himself in the second row coming to an overtime restart. On the restart, Clements could not get going fast enough and was spun, bringing out the yellow again.
Clements restarted in 16th in the final overtime restart. As the field came unwound on the final lap, Clements picked up positions and finished 11th. The No. 51 ran up front all night and was legitimately one of the best cars.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: While two NASCAR series were in Georgia, the Truck Series returned to Lime Rock Park in Connecticut for the second running of the event. With no Cup drivers in the field, the grid was filled with regulars, as well as a few surprises and road-course-ringers. Many drivers had strong runs; Colin Braun, Thomas Annunziata, Cole Butcher and Graham Doyle all found themselves at the front. However, Frontstretch highlights Landen Lewis.
Driving the No. 45 Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports, Lewis qualified sixth in only his seventh start. He then finished third in stage one. On a restart in the middle of the second stage, Lewis was caught up in a wreck on the frontstretch while at the front of the pack. The No. 45 went to the pits for repairs, sending Lewis to the back. Through chaos, strategy and good driving, Lewis made his way back into the top five in the final stage. Gaining more spots through restarts and wreck avoidance, Lewis raced into second. He finished one spot short of the win, but a great result for a driver with limited experience.
Small Team Scheme of the Week
Hyak Motorsports has sneakily mastered the art of the paint scheme. Almost every week in 2026, it seems the No. 47 stands out. At Atlanta, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Chevrolet was among the best liveries in the field. Stylized to look like actual paint, the green gradient checkerboard pattern looked great against the dark background. Starting lime-colored, the green part of the design faded into dark evergreen from the nose to the rear bumper.
Stenhouse struggled during the night, dropping from 15th at the start to 26th in the first two stages. Ultimately, he finished 24th. Though a disappointing result for the drafting ace, still a great paint scheme.
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