{"id":56295,"date":"2026-02-28T18:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T00:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=56295"},"modified":"2026-02-28T20:29:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T02:29:04","slug":"shane-van-gisbergen-charges-to-victory-in-nascar-oreilly-auto-parts-race-at-cota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/28\/shane-van-gisbergen-charges-to-victory-in-nascar-oreilly-auto-parts-race-at-cota\/","title":{"rendered":"Shane van Gisbergen charges to victory in NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts race at COTA"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #9 Safety Culture Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas on February 28, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

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By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 With a bold, brilliant move moment after the final restart of Saturday\u2019s Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas, Shane van Gisbergen once again exhibited his road course supremacy.<\/p>\n

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Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #9 Safety Culture Chevrolet, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas on February 28, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Logan Riely\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Taking the inside line into Turn 1 after the restart with five laps left, van Gisbergen made a four-wide pass for the lead from the sixth position and pulled away to win the fifth NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts race of his career, this time by 0.780 seconds over runner-up Austin Hill.<\/p>\n

In a rough-and-tumble event with more than its share of contact, van Gisbergen led five times for 31 laps, including the last five after the decisive move, as then-leader and Stage 2 winner Sam Mayer ran wide in the first corner, clearing the inside lane for the winning pass.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a bit unsure there, starting sixth on the outside,\u201d van Gisbergen said. \u201cI kind of got to the inside, which was good, and nosed in on the 41 (Mayer), and he reacted. When he reacted, I thought no way he\u2019s stopping that, and he kind of pushed everyone wide, which was awesome, and it worked out for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #9 Safety Culture Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas on February 28, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Logan Riely\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The win was SVG\u2019s first at COTA in his second O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series race at the track. He is winless in two NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Texas road course.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been fast here but never managed to win,\u201d van Gisbergen said. \u201cSo I\u2019m pretty stoked to finally get it done\u2014pretty flawless day.\u201d<\/p>\n

van Gisbergen\u2019s victory was the 10th\u00a0straight on road courses for JR Motorsports and the 106th\u00a0for the organization overall.<\/p>\n

Austin Hill\u2019s runner-up finish was his third in five starts at the 2.4-mile track.<\/p>\n

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Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #9 Safety Culture Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas on February 28, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI made a lot of mistakes out there today, but that\u2019s going to happen on these road courses,\u201d said Hill, the series points leader through three races. \u201cStage 2, I was struggling a little bit, just trying to figure out what I needed to be better.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat (last) restart, I did a really good job getting left. As soon as they went off into the corner, I knew that they were going to slide up, and I was able to file in there in second, and then I had to go to work on SVG.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s just so good at the first three laps of a run. He can really get away. I was struggling a little bit with front turn for the first two or three laps, and he kind of got that gap and was able to manage from there. Hats off to those guys. A better guy beat us today.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a race billed as a matchup between van Gisbergen and pole winner Connor Zilisch, Sammy Smith finished third, followed by Jesse Love and Corey Day, as Zilisch suffered a litany of issues that dropped him to 21st at the end.<\/p>\n

After Zilisch led 12 laps during the first stage, the left-rear brake rotor on his No. 1 Chevrolet sheared, and the 19-year-old prodigy quickly dropped through the field. After stopping for repairs to the rear brakes, Zilisch started the final stage in 29th\u00a0but just as rapidly worked his way forward.<\/p>\n

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Ryan Sieg, driver of the #39 SciAps\/SIMS METAL Chevrolet, and Harrison Burton, driver of the #24 DEX\/Sharp Toyota, race during the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas on February 28, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Logan Riely\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

With fewer than three laps left, he had just cleared Day\u2019s No. 17 Chevrolet for fourth, when contact from Day\u2019s car sent Zilisch spinning and damaged his Camaro.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe got right in front of me there, and as soon as did and he crossed over my nose, I lost a little bit of what I had left (of front turn),\u201d Day said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t intentional. I didn\u2019t want to wreck him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The accident ruined Zilisch\u2019s impressive charge from the back of the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally unfortunate,\u201d Zilisch said. \u201cHopefully, he can figure it out\u2026 All I want is an apology, but he just stands over there and stares at me and makes it worse. But he\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seventeen-year-old Brent Crews finished sixth in his series debut after taking the lead on<\/p>\n

the Stage 2 restart. Crews is the first driver under 18 to lead laps in the series since Casey Atwood accomplished the feat in 1998.<\/p>\n

William Sawalich, Justin Allgaier, Ross Chastain and Brennan Poole completed the top 10.<\/p>\n

Interview: NOAPS Race Winner – Shane van Gisbergen (No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet) –<\/h3>\n