Shane van Gisbergen reveals Max Verstappen’s role in his Mexico City NASCAR win

NASCAR Cup Series rookie Shane van Gisbergen earned his second series victory on Sunday, June 15. Named Viva Mexico 250, the 100-lap event was held at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez, a 2.674-mile road course in Mexico City, marking the series’ first point-paying race held outside of the US since 1958.

Gisbergen held off Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell to the checkered flag by 16.57 seconds, ending the race dominantly. Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and Michael McDowell rounded up the top five. With his win, SVG booked a spot in the playoffs, despite sitting 30th on the leaderboard.

But it seems like the New Zealander had help. He was seen texting his friend and Formula One champion Max Verstappen just moments before the race. When a reporter asked if the Dutchman had said anything to help him, Gisbergen replied, smiling,

“Yeah, a little bit on the wet and just what lines to take and how to approach it. What a guy!” (1:15 onwards)

Following a rain-washed Stage 1, almost the entire field, including Shane van Gisbergen, pitted for wet tires. Chris Buescher and Austin Cindric were the only two drivers who opted to stay on slicks.

As the rain ceased in the second half, SVG was able to pass Ty Gibbs for the lead, creating a five-second gap. He pitted again with two to go, changed back to slicks, and won the segment.

According to reports, the race featured 14 lead changes among eight drivers. Gisbergen led five times for a race-high 60 laps. Last week’s winner, Denny Hamlin, missed the race due to the birth of his third child. He will return next week for The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway.

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Shane van Gisbergen reflects on adversities leading to his Mexico outing

For Shane van Gisbergen, NASCAR’s Mexico weekend started with aircraft issues, which delayed his arrival at the racetrack on Saturday. He fell sick the following day and had to cancel an appearance with Amazon Prime Video.

And yet, he bagged the pole for what was the first NASCAR race in Mexico since 2008. Reflecting on all that, the former Supercars sensation said (as quoted by Motorsport),

“What a week. 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.”

Despite the inclement weather, SVG didn’t slow down his communication with his team on the radio. Explaining the reason, the driver said,

“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.”

Shane van Gisbergen's next race is at Pocono on June 22. Fans can watch him in action only on Prime Video, 2 pm ET onwards, or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.