WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Shane van Gisbergen insists his dominance of road courses in NASCAR competition is harder than it looks, and that he feels “a lot of pressure” to beat the best in stock-car racing.
The Trackhouse Racing driver was in another league Sunday, though, schooling the stars of the Cup Series at Watkins Glen International.
Starting from the pole position, van Gisbergen scored the seventh victory of his Cup Series career — all on permanent road courses or temporary street circuits — and his second consecutive on the 2.45-mile track in New York by leading 74 of 100 laps in his No. 97 Chevrolet.
“We weren’t very good in practice, and then qualifying was amazing, and then today, what a race car,” van Gisbergen said. “And then (crew chief) Stephen (Doran) made great calls. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work, and then to run them down like that, it’s very, very special to do two in a row.”
Pitting from the lead under green with 24 laps remaining, van Gisbergen emerged in 24th and was nearly 30 seconds behind the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driven by race leader Ty Gibbs.