CHICAGO — Three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen became the first driver in more than half a century to win a Cup race in their first start, taking the checkered flag in the inaugural Chicago Street Race on Sunday.
“This was so cool,” van Gisbergen told NBC Sports’ Marty Snider. “This is what you dream of. Hopefully I can come and do more.”
The 34-year-old van Gisbergen, who is from Auckland, New Zealand, becomes the first driver since Johnny Rutherford to win in his first Cup start. Rutherford won a Daytona qualifying race in 1963. Van Gisbergen is only the seventh driver in NASCAR’s 75 years to win in their first start.
MORE: Race results
MORE: Points report
MORE: What drivers said
“He was in a league of his own,” Chase Elliott said of van Gisbergen. “In my opinion, he put on a really big-time clinic. I don’t want to speak for everybody else, but he made me look bad. I kind of think the rest of us, too.”
Kyle Busch noted that van Gisbergen has driven cars similar for Cup cars for years.
“He’s probably four, five, eight years ahead of us in this sort of car,” Busch said.
Van Gisbergen gave Trackhouse Racing its second win in a row. He drove for Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 effort, and his win comes a week after Ross Chastain won at Nashville.
He won a race shortened by darkness after being delayed by rain. The race was to have gone 100 laps but was shortened to 75 laps and then extended four laps by overtime.
Justin Haley finished second and was followed by Elliott, Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch, who overcame an early crash into the Turn 6 tire barrier to score a top five.
Sixth through 10th was Austin Cindric, Michael McDowell, Joey Logano, Ty Gibbs and Chris Buescher.
The race started on a wet course after rain much of the day, which delayed the beginning of the race by about 90 minutes. It was 20 laps in before teams started taking wet weather tires off and putting on slick tires as the racing line dried.
Only once was the track blocked in the event — something that many feared could happen multiple times in the race. The track was blocked in Turn 11 on Lap 50. William Byron missed the corner and then Corey LaJoie and Kevin Harvick made contact, Harvick hit the wall and came across the track and blocked half of it. Other cars ran into each other and the inside lane also was blocked.
Christopher Bell won both stages but saw his chances to win end quickly. When NASCAR announced on Lap 46 that the race would be shortened to 75 laps, he was leading, but some cars had already pitted and were in position to make it to the end. When Bell pitted, he restarted 12th behind those looking to make it to the end of the race.
On Lap 50, Bell was among those cars caught in the incident in Turn 11 that blocked the track. Five laps later, he spun in Turn 1, losing more positions. He finished 18th.
Tyler Reddick saw his hopes for a top-five finish end when he hit the Turn 6 tire barrier while running fourth. He finished 28th.
In the end, no one could catch van Gisbergen.
“The fans in Australia and New Zealand, the response this week and the coverage has been -- I can’t explain it,” he said. “Like the response and the support I’ve got from everyone and even over here how welcoming everyone is, I can’t believe it. Dream come true.”
STAGE 1 WINNER: Christopher Bell
STAGE 2 WINNER: Christopher Bell
WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Justin Haley’s runner-up finish is his best road course result. ... Chris Buescher’s 10th-place finish was his eighth consecutive top 10 on a road course.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Alex Bowman entered the race two points out of the last playoff transfer spot. An incident led to a last-place finish, dropping further behind the cutline with eight races left in the regular season.
NOTABLE: The previous six drivers who won a Cup race in their first series start were Jim Roper (Charlotte, 1949), Jack White (Hamburg, 1949), Harold Kite (Daytona Beach, 1950), Leon Sales (North Wilkesboro, 1950), Marvin Burke (Oakland, 1951) and Johnny Rutherford (Daytona, 1963)
NEXT: The series races July 9 at Atlanta (7 p.m. ET on USA)
