MEXICO CITY (AP) — Shane Van Gisbergen once again mastered a new track — this one the iconic Mexico City road course — to win NASCAR’s first Cup Series points-paying race outside the United States of the modern era.

The New Zealander led 60 of 100 laps Sunday at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to earn his first Cup victory since he won in his NASCAR debut at the inaugural 2023 street course race in Chicago. That victory changed his career trajectory and Van Gisbergen left Australia V8 Supercars, where he was a multiple champion, for a full-time move to NASCAR.

Although he had success in the Xfinity Series — he won three races last year as Trackhouse Racing developed him for a Cup Series ride — Van Gisbergen has struggled this year at NASCAR’s top level.

He started the race ranked 33rd in the Cup standings with only one top-10 finish through the first 15 races of the season. But his victory in Mexico City earned him an automatic berth into NASCAR’s playoffs with a shot to race for the Cup Series championship.

Van Gisbergen benefitted from an early pop-up rain shower on the first lap of the race because he’s an exceptionally skilled driver on a wet surface. His win at Chicago was in monsoon-like conditions.

He won the pole in Mexico City and started the race as the BetMGM betting favorite, particularly since rain was in the forecast. He had to contend with several challengers, Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing among them, but took the lead for good with 31 laps remaining.

Trackhouse now has two of its drivers — Ross Chastain and Van Gisbergen — locked into the playoffs. But it was a bit of a disappointment for Daniel Suarez, the Monterrey native who thrilled the hometown crowd with a win in the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, as he failed to challenge his teammate for the win and finished 19th.

Suarez, who appeared to be blinking back tears as he sang along with the Mexican national anthem in pre-race ceremonies, desperately wanted the home win in this contract year with Trackhouse. He was the face of this event as NASCAR ventured outside the U.S. with its top series for the first time since 1958.

Bell finished second in a Toyota for JGR — 16.567 seconds behind the winner. He was followed by Chase Elliott in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Alex Bowman, who hurt his back in a crash last week at Michigan, withstood the pain for a fourth-place finish in his Hendrick Chevrolet.

Michael McDowell of Spire Motorsports was fifth and followed by John Hunter Nemechek in a Toyota for Legacy Motor Club. Chase Briscoe of JGR was seventh and followed by Cole Custer for Haas Factory as the highest-finishing Ford driver. William Byron of Hendrick was ninth and Chris Buescher of RFK Racing rounded out the top 10.

Chevrolets took five of the top-10 positions, including the victory.

Bad day for Busch

Kyle Busch, who started the race at the bottom of the playoff standings, suffered a massive setback when he crashed out of the race on the sixth lap and finished last in the 37-car field.

Busch, who was ranked 15th in the Cup Series standings when he arrived in Mexico City, blamed the incident on the wet track.

“Just in the rain, and I went down into (Turn) 11 and got on the brakes pretty hard, and everything was fine, everything was comfortable, stopped really good,” he said. “And I’m like ‘OK I can be a little more aggressive getting into 1,’ and I figured it was going to be fine, and as soon as I went to the brakes, it was like being on ice, and I was just sliding.

“About a second a half or so, I was trying to figure out which direction to go, and I was like I’ve got to turn this thing around backward, because I’m going to nail some people. Hate it for all those involved in my mishap. I hate that the rain came and now it’s nice and dry. Just have to go fight for more points in another week.”

Gordon gives command

NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon was selected to give the command for drivers to start their engines and admitted before the race he’d done some practicing.

Why? Because he incorporated both English and Spanish in his delivery of the most famous words in racing.

“Hola Mexico!” Gordon shouted. “Pilotos start your engines!

Up Next

NASCAR races next Sunday at Pocono Raceway, where Ryan Blaney won last year.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

For the second time in his NASCAR Cup Series career, Shane van Gisbergen is a winner.

He started from the pole Sunday and claimed the first-ever Cup race in Mexico City at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The 36-year-old is known as a road-course specialist. His first victory came in his debut — the 2023 Chicago Street Race.

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SVG’s margin was huge, too. No other driver finished within 16 seconds of him.

Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott also notched top-three finishes. Let’s check out the full finishing order.

NASCAR standings: Results from Cup Series race in Mexico City today

1. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88

6. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42

27. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47

(This story was updated to add a gallery.)

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR today: Results, winner of Cup Series race at Mexico City

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Sunday in Mexico City, Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) was nearly unstoppable, driving off with the victory by almost 17 seconds. It ended up being the biggest margin of victory in any Cup race since the 2009 season. Christopher Bell finished a distant second with Chase Elliott third, but neither could even see the Trackhouse Racing Team driver at the checkered flag.

The weekend started with aircraft issues that delayed his arrival to Mexico City and on Sunday morning, he had to cancel an appearance with NASCAR on Prime as he battled an illness. But none of that would deny him the victory on Sunday in a race that even featured a stint in the rain.

“What a week,” said Van Gisbergen “I’ve really enjoyed myself here. I felt pretty rubbish today leaking out both holes. That wasn’t fun. Thank you to SafetyCulture, Trackhouse, Chevy, and ECR engines. Our car was amazing. I think the #54 [Gibbs] was close, but that last stint, man, what a pleasure just ripping lap after lap and watching them get smaller in the mirror. Unreal.”

Watch: ‘That was epic’: SVG describes how his race-winning car felt all day

On the radio communication to slow down, which SVG refused to do, he explained that “when I go slow, I just lose concentration, so I was trying to stay in a rhythm and a routine, and Josh [Williams, spotter] and Stephen [Doran, crew chief] are doing such a great job keeping me calm and focused. Man, that was epic.

The final run of the race lasted over 30 laps, but SVG managed it to perfection, ensuring no one could challenge him. The New Zealand driver now has two victories in the Cup Series with the first coming in the inaugural running of another event — the 2023 Chicago Street Course. This win vaults him from 33rd in the standings to the playoffs, joining teammate Ross Chastain, who won the Coca-Cola 600.

Behind the podium finishers,  Alex Bowman and Michael McDowell filled out the top five. John-Hunter Nemechek, Chase Briscoe, Cole Custer, William Byron, and Chris Buescher rounded out the top ten.

Stage 1

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

The initial start was clean as the Trackhouse teammates worked together with SVG leading the way over Chastain. However, the caution flag flew for rain falling down on the track.

While most of the field pitted for wet-weather tires, Cindric and Buescher boldly chose to stay out on slicks. In the chaotic restart that followed, Gibbs managed to take the lead while Cindric and Buescher dropped through the pack. 

Kyle Busch lost control under braking on the approach into Turn 1, spinning wildly out of control. He slammed into Kyle Larson, Justin Haley, and A.J. Allmendinger. Both Chase Briscoe and Zane Smith were also collected.

Busch was unable to continue while Larson spent a third of the race in the garage making repairs. On the restart, it became a battle between SVG and Gibbs for the top spot with SVG prevailing, but he ultimately gave up the stage win in favor of short-pitting. 

Gibbs followed suit, allowing Ryan Preece to claim the stage win.

Stage 2

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

SVG was fifth for the start of the second stage, leading those who switched back to slick drivers. The front four were all on used wets and they were not able to hang on for long. But it was all part of the plan as they planned to pit a few laps later anyway.

Halfway through the stage, Ryan Truex (filling in for Denny Hamlin) went for a spin, causing a caution. Van Gisbergen went on to win the stage as Gibbs chose to pit just before the stage break. 

Stage 3

General view

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

The beginning of the final stage was hectic, with lots of contact and several cars spinning. Chastain, Stenhouse, Hocevar, Preece, and Truex all lost ground due to spins or notable incidents. 

On Lap 62, the final round of green-flag pit stops began with Bell ducking to the pits. Van Gisbergen followed suit two laps later, but before Gibbs could pit as well, everything changed.

Hocevar went for a spin in the final corner and stalled, forcing a yellow flag that proved costly for Gibbs. SVG cycled back to the race lead and avoided the restart chaos behind him, quickly pulling away from the field. 

And while drivers fought over the lesser positions and there were some minor incidents, the caution flag never flew again. Of note, Hocevar and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had another run-in, despite recent comments from the Spire Motorsport driver promising to back down the aggression. After the race, Stenhouse stuck his head into the window of Hocevar’s car and appeared to shout at him.

Shane van Gisbergen — winner: “What a week. I’ve really enjoyed myself. I felt pretty rubbish today. Our car was amazing. I think the 54 was close. That list stint, man, what a pleasure just ripping lap after lap. Watching them get smaller in the mirror. Unreal. I’ve been privileged to have some great (cars) in my time, but when I go slow, I just lose concentration, so I was trying to stay in a rhythm and a routine, and Josh and Stephen are doing such a great job keeping me calm and focused, and man, that was epic.”

Christopher Bell — second: “He was really good. Ultimately it was just a third-lpace day. I thought Ty was really good, the yellow flag bit him, and we walked away with second. More than anything, it was just me. I need to do a little bit more homework to figure out where I can be better to keep up with these guys. The Joe Gibbs Racing team brought an amazing Camry, and I can’t really say it was my car that was lacking. It was on me this weekend. Happy for Shane. There’s a lot of pressure for him to come out and do well in these road-course races, and he sets the bar for us.Happy for Shane. There’s a lot of pressure for him to come out and do well in these road-course races, and he sets the bar for us.”

The Trackhouse Racing driver qualifies for the 2025 playoffs with his second career victory.

Chase Elliott — third: “The restart was (chaotic) for sure. I felt we were in a really good spot. I was super excited about having tires, and we got in front of (Ty Gibbs), and I thought that was going to be the race for the win, initially. I got clear of (Ross Chastain) and (John Hunter Nemechek). I started settling in, and I didn’t have anything left. I was kind of cooked after that. I think we pressed so hard to get through traffic, when it got singled out, I didn’t have a lot of pace left. I felt I gained on them a little while, but it was pretty tough sledding to get to that point, but we pressed on. I’m proud of our group for just sticking with it. We were up and down all day. Finally got going there a few runs from the end, and Alan made a good call to get us on tires. Finally had a restart go halfway decent and got a decent top three out of it.”

Alex Bowman — fourth: “Running well probably made it easier than it could have been. Just proud of the whole team. I put us behind this week. In full transparency, I couldn’t walk on Wednesday, so I missed all my sim stuff, all my meetings. Just trying to get back going. I had a lot of help from a lot of people to fix whatever the hell was going on, and thankfully enough, I was able to run all the laps this weekend. Honestly, my goal this weekend was just to come here and run all the laps and end up with a top five. I definitely will take it. Proud of Blake and all the guys. I wish I wouldn’t’ have burned the tires off so bad at the end, but we were pretty decent. It’s been neat. I’ve never been out of the country before. Certainly, this week has been a lot. Travel for this week has been a lot with what I had going on. I wish I could have walked around the city and enjoyed it a lot more than I did because I just laid in a hotel bed all weekend. It’s a neat spot. Have to thank my girlfriend, Chloe, for picking me up off the floor and getting me some help. Yeah, it’s been a heck of a week.”

Michael McDowell — fifth: “We know we need a win to get in the playoffs. Proud of everybody at Spire Motorsports. We had an alternate strategy. Without that caution, it would have worked out pretty well. Passed a lot of cars at the end. Top five, proud of that. Not what we came here to do. We’ll build on it. We’ve got a lot of good road courses coming up, but this was an opportunity I think we let slip away.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s comments were caught by Carson Hocevar’s in-car camera after the race.

John Hunter Nemechek — sixth: ““Hats off to this whole team. PI’m super stoked on a sixth-place finish. Our road course program has not been good here, so solid run for us after the last three weeks we’ve had – two wrecks, and not so good run in Nashville – we needed this as a team to get back on track. Had a lot of text messages from my wife (Taylor) and had a lot of text messages from Jimmie (Johnson) yesterday. I was pretty down after qualifying, and beating myself up pretty bad, but we executed during the race. I got spun out a couple of times and still came home sixth. Hats off to Travis (Mack, crew chief) on the strategy. He called a really good race, and we were able to execute and come home sixth. Proud of the day.”

Chase Briscoe — seventh: “We just had a really good Toyota. It is sickening getting torn up that early, and all the aversity we had to go through because our car was really, really good. I don’t know if I would have been good enough to beat Shane (van Gisbergen) – but certainly, probably would have run better than seventh. It is a testament to my guys. They could have given up in many points during the race, and they continued to just fight. I want to say Happy Father’s Day to my dad, and congrats to Shane too. That whole team is almost the 14 group from last year.”

William Byron — ninth: “Today was hard fought for sure. We started behind where we would want to be but we were able to use strategy and make adjustments that got us good track position. I’m really proud of our team’s effort to turn things around today. We’ll take the top 10 and head to Pocono.”

Ty Gibbs — 11th: “I don’t know what they do on restarts where they check everybody up and then everyone just rails each other. That is where I got a little nose damage, unfortunately. Sometimes life just doesn’t work out for you. You just have to keep digging.”

The Trackhouse Racing driver will race for a championship despite being currently ranked outside the top 30 in the points standings.

AJ Allmendinger — 13th: “Honestly, I felt like we were going to have a really good car, even the way it felt in the rain. It’s easy to say that, but I really thought the car had a lot of speed. For as destroyed as it was, we still had decent speed and it drove well on wet and dry tires. I definitely think we could have ran top five all day, but unfortunately, we’ll never know. Just proud of the guys; from the way we started this weekend, we kept fighting and making it better. We had something there to be competitive and have a really good run. Our 16 group did everything they could to keep me out there and I’m never going to quit on them. just absolutely frustrating day, but proud of the effort for days like this, just keep fighting.”

Ryan Blaney — 14th: “Good points day for our 12 group and proud of the effort all weekend. I felt like we had a shot at a top-10 during that final run but came up a little short at the end. It was a great experience here in Mexico City and it was cool to see it all come together the way it did.”

Erik Jones — 17th: “Today was honestly a roller coaster. We had so much speed that first stage and even got bonus points. I think we could’ve worked our way back into the top-10 for the second stage if it weren’t for that flat tire. I’m still proud of my No. 43 Toyota team for giving us a fast car this weekend. We’re working on improving our road course package, and I think you’re seeing that overall.”

Austin Cindric — 18th: “All in all, it was a great experience getting to race in Mexico City for the first time, and everything about the weekend was unique. The conditions and strategy definitely made for an interesting race, but I’m proud of the effort from our No. 2 team.”

Daniel Suarez — 19th: “Our race was up and down. In the rain, we were decent, and then once the racetrack started drying out, I don’t feel like we were great, but we were still in the hunt. Unfortunately, the gamble didn’t work out. Honestly, I felt like today I gave my best, and it just wasn’t good enough. I wish I was in the mix a little bit more, fighting up front. It just wasn’t in the cards today. I’m happy with our performance, because I felt I left everything on the table. But it just wasn’t meant to be. The car was good. Not great but good, and the strategy didn’t work out. Nobody’s fault, the strategy just didn’t work out today. “It’s definitely a weekend I will remember for a very long time. I feel like everyone in NASCAR, we have a made huge impact this weekend racing in Mexico.”

Joey Logano — 21st: “Just a couple unfortunate moments early on that set back our team and forced us to flip our strategy. We never really had a chance to recover from that but still proud of the effort from the 22 team this weekend.”

Austin Dillon — 28th: “I’m proud of everyone in NASCAR for coming together to bring our sport to Mexico City. I just wish our Chevrolet team could have had a better end to the race weekend. We had some positives, such as finishing sixth in Stage 2 to earn stage points. We were just too tight for the majority of the race. Our RCR team kept fighting and put us in position to salvage a solid finish. Unfortunately, I got spun with less than 25 to go and we couldn’t make up any ground in the final stretch. That’s how these races go sometimes. We’ll take it and move on to Pocono.”

Kyle Busch — 37th: “”Just in the rain, and I went down into 11 and got on the brakes pretty hard. Everything was fine, everything was comfortable, stopped really good. And I’m like, ‘OK, I can be a little more aggressive getting into 1,” and I figured it was going to be fine, and as soon as I went to the brakes, it was like being on ice, and I was just sliding. About a second and a half or so, I was trying to figure out which direction to go, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to turn this thing around backward, because I’m going to nail some people.’ Hate it for all those involved in my mishap. Hate it for RCR, ECR. The car in qualifying was really good, and I felt we were going to be really sporty in the dry. I hate that the rain came, and now it’s nice and dry. Just have to go fight for more points in another week.”