Shane van Gisbergen withdraws from NASCAR Cup Series race in Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) — Shane van Gisbergen was thrown out of Sunday’s rain-affected NASCAR Cup Series race, ending his chance of another victory on the downtown Chicago street circuit.

Van Gisbergen was clipped by Chase Briscoe at Turn 6 on lap 25. Briscoe slid into a tire barrier, but van Gisbergen crashed into the makeshift wall – severely damaging the right side of his Kaulig Racing Chevrolet.

“I just turned around. It looked pretty good and then someone hit me,” said van Gisbergen. “It’s devastating.”

Shortly after the accident, the race was stopped to give NASCAR time to remove standing water from the temporary track. Ty Gibbs was in the lead when the delay began, followed by Christopher Bell and the pole sitter Kyle Larson.

Van Gisbergen drove to a career-changing victory last year in Chicago, when he became the first driver since Johnny Rutherford to win his Cup Series debut in the second qualifying race at Daytona in 1963. The 35-year-old New Zealand native also won the Saturday race Xfinity Series Race on the same track.

Van Gisbergen won the first stage on Sunday, shortly before he retired.

“We were able to take the lead and I felt like I was doing well,” he said. “Yes, it’s a shame that we were out so early. It’s a shame that we couldn’t really attack at the end.”

The wet Cup Series race ended NASCAR’s second year at the Chicago street circuit. It is expected to return next season, but the future of the weekend – a combination of racing and music aimed at NASCAR newcomers rather than traditional fans – is unclear beyond 2025.

Unlike last year, when persistent rain showers disrupted the schedule — resulting in shortened versions of the Xfinity and Cup Series races — there was no weather concern until the Cup drivers got in their cars and were ordered to start their engines. Then it started raining and teams had to quickly decide whether to switch to rain tires.

After the rain had initially subsided to a drizzle, it increased in intensity after about 17 laps and finally led to the race being abandoned.

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