“I felt a pop”: Shane van Gisbergen’s crew divulges into his rib-breaking, lung-collapsing Pocono injury

Shane Van Gisbergen's crew member JP Kealey detailed his harrowing injury at Pocono Raceway, where a flying tire left him with a broken rib and a collapsed lung. The rear tire changer has now returned to duty at the Chicago Street Race.

During The Great American Getaway 400, AJ Allmendinger overshot his pit entry and struck a wheel carried by a crew member, which went hurtling towards Kealey. Kealey was preparing to service SVG's car when the flying tire slammed into him.

He collapsed upon impact but got back up to finish the stop before getting medical attention. SVG recently shared a positive update on Kealey's recovery, and it appears he's now back in shape and ready to resume his duties.

On Saturday, July 5, NASCAR analyst Bob Pockrass shared an update from Kealey himself.

"It was a pretty hard hit. Knocked the wind out of me when the tire hit me. I kind of knew I broke my ribs. I felt a pop. But you know, the first thing that came to mind was finishing the stop, so I got back out there to finish the job. And then yeah, after that, I got a little bit of attention. Once I found some shortness of breath and was struggling to breathe a little bit, that's when I knew something was wrong," Kealey said.

Shane Van Gisbergen's Pocono outing was a painful reminder to his oval struggles. The Trackhouse Racing driver finished a lap down and outside the top-30.

However, the Kiwi got back to winning ways after his second straight Xfinity Series win on Saturday's The Loop 110 at the Chicago Street Course.

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Shane Van Gisbergen reflects on Xfinity Series win at Chicago

Shane Van Gisbergen competed with JR Motorsports on his second Xfinity Series outing at Chicago. Despite strategy misfires, the road course specialist held off a late surge from Connor Zilisch to take the checkered flag.

Reflecting upon the same, Van Gisbergen spoke to the media and said (via NASCAR),

"The strategy went wrong, but it worked out well. The car was a rocket. (Zilisch) is a great young driver, and that was the first time I’ve really raced him. I knew that was my opportunity, and I took it. Awesome 1-2 for the team.”

Shane Van Gisbergen began the race on pole, a feat he'd go on to replicate in Saturday's Cup Series qualifying. Considering his road course prowess, the #88 driver is the crowd favorite to win the Grant Park 165.

However, he may face some serious challenges from Michael McDowell, who locked out the front row. The Spire Motorsports driver recently downplayed SVG's road course dominance, stating that 'he's beatable.' Fans can catch Sunday's (July 6) 75-lap race on TNT Sports at 2 PM ET.