WATCH: Kyle Larson and Shane van Gisbergen aggressively battle it out for the win at Charlotte

Kyle Larson and Shane van Gisbergen battled hard for the lead at the Charlotte Motor Speedway's Roval. In the closing laps of the Round of 12 elimination race, they ran nose-to-tail with Christopher Bell close behind.

With 14 laps remaining, Larson was leading into turn seven when SVG tried to pass in the gap on the inside. The contact moved the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, but retained the lead heading into the backstretch chicane. As they ran on the frontstretch, SVG took the lead before Larson regained it in turn one.

Take a look at the action posted by NASCAR on X.

“It's getting physical out front! (Shane van Gisbergen) takes the lead from (Kyle Larson)!” NASCAR wrote.

While Kyle Larson is racing in the playoffs, Shane van Gisbergen was eliminated after the Round of 16. The #88 Trackhouse Racing driver qualified for the postseason after winning four of the first five road course races of the 2025 season. The Charlotte Roval race marks the final non-oval event of the year.

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“Nowhere near him”: Kyle Larson on racing Shane van Gisbergen on road courses

Kyle Larson admitted that Shane van Gisbergen is superior to him on road courses. He noted several factors behind it, including his aggressive driving style, but said he’s looking forward to improving in this area of NASCAR racing.

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion said:

“I don't know… I feel like this year, nowhere near him. I think that's a lot due to the tire change and just my driving style, maybe I'm guessing, but just being overly aggressive in a way of how you load the tire and slip and stuff. I've just been trying to get better this year on the road course stuff. We've had great results, I feel like my whole career on road courses, so I definitely don't feel bad.”

Outside of NASCAR, Larson is racing on dirt tracks and running his own 410-winged sprint car series, Kubota High Limit Racing. On the other hand, SVG’s background in Australia’s Supercars—where drivers handle high-powered V8 machines similar to NASCAR stock cars—has given him a natural edge on road courses stateside.