"That is something that we’ll frown upon": NASCAR exec issues stern warning over Ross Chastain-Shane van Gisbergen incident at Gateway

After last week's Enjoy Illinois 300 held at World Wide Technology Raceway, NASCAR issued a warning to Trackhouse Racing. During the Hauler Talk podcast, Mike Forde, the managing director of communications, addressed the incident between Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain at Gateway.

The Cup Series drivers drove the #1 and #88 Chevy Camaro ZL1 on the grass during the cool-down lap after the checkered flag was waved. The action was unusual and questionable, catching the governing body officials' attention. Managing Director Brad Morgan claimed that the issue will be addressed directly with the team.

The move raised doubts about Gisbergen and Chastain adding weight to their cars before handing them out to the governing body for inspection. Reflecting on the same, NASCAR spokesperson Mike Forde issued a warning to Trackhouse Racing and stated:

“We did not care for it, not one bit. We’re going to just remind teams this is something where we actually have a rule. I think we’re going to give (Trackhouse) a little bit of a warning. But there is a rule that says what they did — you could argue — broke a rule, and there could have been repercussions for it. But I think we’re going to allow the teams sort of a gimme here and say moving forward be aware that we are going to be looking at this.” (via NASCAR.com)

According to rule 6421.b, once the checkered flag is waved, all cars on the track are considered to be under impound conditions. During this time, no changes or adjustments should be made in either the pit roads or the cool-down laps before reaching the inspection area.

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“It’ll be nice to prove people wrong”: Shane van Gisbergen on being written off as a NASCAR Cup Series championship candidate

Earlier in August 2025, ahead of the Cook Out Southern 500, Shane van Gisbergen sat down with Racer.com for an interview. During the interaction, the NASCAR driver slammed critics and aimed to 'prove people wrong.'

The stock car racing driver made his first Cup Series appearance in 2023 and competed in two races with Trackhouse Racing. However, two years later, in 2025, he landed a full-time seat with the team. He became the second Trackhouse Racing driver to land a playoff spot and also clinched the Rookie of the Year this season.

Despite delivering consistent results, many critics still want to write off the New Zealand-based driver as a championship candidate. Reflecting on the same, the NASCAR driver stated:

“It doesn’t worry us. It puts no pressure on us, right? If we have a good week this week, it takes the next few harder. But if we have a tough week, it puts us in a hole, and it’s going to be hard to get out of it."

“Hopefully, it’ll be nice to prove people wrong,” he added.

Shane van Gisbergen currently ranks 14th in the Cup Series points table with 2039 points to his credit. Additionally, he has secured four wins, five top-tens, four top-fives, and three pole positions in 28 starts so far this season.