Shane Van Gisbergen won NASCAR's first Cup Series points race outside America at Mexico City's road course. The New Zealand driver led 60 of 100 laps at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Sunday. Van Gisbergen earned his first Cup victory since winning his NASCAR debut at Chicago during 2023. His Mexico City win gives him an automatic playoff spot with a shot at the championship. The driver ranked 33rd before the race with just one top-10 finish through 15 races.
Rain helped Van Gisbergen early as he excels on wet surfaces like his Chicago victory. He started from pole position as the betting favorite because of predicted weather. Christopher Bell finished second for Joe Gibbs Racing about 16 seconds behind the winner. Chase Elliott placed third for Hendrick Motorsports after a strong performance. Alex Bowman fought through back pain from last week's Michigan crash to finish fourth.
Van Gisbergen felt sick before the race and slept on his hauler floor Saturday night. His chartered plane broke down Thursday leaving the team stranded until Friday morning. The driver texted Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen about racing lines around the track. Daniel Suarez disappointed hometown fans with a 19th place finish after winning Saturday's Xfinity race. Kyle Busch crashed on lap six and finished last among 37 drivers.
Rain helped Van Gisbergen early as he excels on wet surfaces like his Chicago victory. He started from pole position as the betting favorite because of predicted weather. Christopher Bell finished second for Joe Gibbs Racing about 16 seconds behind the winner. Chase Elliott placed third for Hendrick Motorsports after a strong performance. Alex Bowman fought through back pain from last week's Michigan crash to finish fourth.
Van Gisbergen felt sick before the race and slept on his hauler floor Saturday night. His chartered plane broke down Thursday leaving the team stranded until Friday morning. The driver texted Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen about racing lines around the track. Daniel Suarez disappointed hometown fans with a 19th place finish after winning Saturday's Xfinity race. Kyle Busch crashed on lap six and finished last among 37 drivers.
