Van Gisbergen struggles to sixth at COTA

The Trackhouse Racing driver started sixth and finished sixth during a 95-lapper in which he was blighted by tyre troubles.

Van Gisbergen complained all day of corner exit grip, which never came good despite the efforts of the #88 crew.

“Just didn’t quite have it there,” van Gisbergen said over the radio after the chequered flag.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell won the contest in a thrilling conclusion to the race.

Kyle Busch controlled the lion’s share of Stage 3 until a late caution bunched the field back up.

Busch battled with Bell initially before William Byron and Tyler Reddick joined the fight.

The four-way fight ended with Busch being boxed out, allowing Byron to take on Bell in the closing laps.

Bell benefitted from Reddick hassling Byron and despite a few last lap lunges by Byron, Bell hung on to win by 0.4s at the chequered flag.

BACK-TO-BACK. Christopher Bell holds off William Byron to WIN at Circuit of the Americas! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/oq0Dd2hHCu

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 3, 2025

Starting in sixth, van Gisbergen avoided the first turn chaos that saw Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain tip Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott into a spin.

Van Gisbegren quickly rose to third and was given second when Bubba Wallace was handed a stop-and-go penalty for exceeding track limits.

Come Lap 9, van Gisbergen put a pass on 23XI Racing’s Reddick at Turn 6A to take the lead away. Moments later, Busch dispatched Reddick at the final turn.

Van Gisbergen settled into a rhythm with Busch in tow. With three laps left in Stage 1, the Kiwi pitted. Wallace stayed out and claimed the Stage 1 win from Joey Logano, van Gisbergen, Busch, and Elliott.

“I don’t have the front bite. Traction feels okay but I’m really struggling to turn it,” said van Gisbergen over the radio at the end of Stage 1.

On the restart, van Gisbergen lost out to Busch.

“F*** I’ve got no front, man” he commented.

Busch stretched his legs initially but the momentum swung on Lap 35 and van Gisbergen got back by at 6A.

Like Stage 1, van Gisbergen pitted with three laps to go in Stage 2. That gifted Ryan Preece the lead and with it the stage win. Ryan Blaney was second, Michael McDowell third, Busch fourth, and van Gisbergen fifth.

Van Gisbergen restarted in third on Lap 50 behind McDowell – who opted not to pit – Busch, and hard charger AJ Allmendinger.

Trouble for Daniel Suárez and Connor Zilisch at COTA. pic.twitter.com/eOueEVBfRq

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 2, 2025

The first caution for an incident came later that lap when Daniel Suarez spun at the penultimate turn. His teammate Connor Zilisch in the #87 Camaro couldn’t avoid the spinning #99 car and they collided. Both cars suffered race-ending damage.

The race restarted on Lap 55 at which point van Gisbergen was swamped. He fell from third to seventh but quickly recovered to fifth.

“Taking off I have nothing,” van Gisbergen said.

“I think the tyre pressure might be too low, man. I just can’t get going.”

Van Gisbergen continued to bemoan his corner exit speed. With 34 laps to go, he commented: “I just have no grip, and it’s not getting better.”

Byron was the first of the front-runners to pit with 27 laps to go followed by Reddick, Chase Briscoe, and Ross Chastain. Busch pitted a lap later leaving new race leader Bell and van Gisbergen to go long.

Before his final pit stop, van Gisbergen commented: “The balance is really good, I just have no grip compared to the others.”

Once the pit stop sequence was completed when van Gisbergen stopped with 22 laps to go, it was Busch who led Byron, Bell, Allmendinger, Reddick, Briscoe, van Gisbergen, Chastain, Justin Haley, and Alex Bowman.

😳 Austin Dillon is stuck … after contact with Denny Hamlin. 😳 https://t.co/4JSRENKYZW pic.twitter.com/FweTq1CERR

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 2, 2025

A sprint to the finish was set up with 18 laps left when Denny Hamlin lost control of his #11 Camry and slid into the side of Austin Dillon’s #3 Camaro. As a result, Dillon became beached in the gravel trap and the caution came out.

That gave van Gisbergen a massive free kick, having been bogged down in sixth and 15 seconds off the lead. However, he was unable to capitalise on it.

“The front was good to go but the rear was pretty loose, so that’s a worry, but definitely better taking off,” he said during the caution.

Those worries were soon proven right on the restart.

Busch led the field to green with 13 laps to go ahead of Byron, Bell, Reddick, Allmendinger, van Gisbergen, Chastain, Haley, Blaney, and Noah Gragson.

Van Gisbergen looked like he might get shuffled out on the restart but stayed sixth through the esses.

Later that lap, van Gisbergen ran wide at the second-to-last turn and dropped back to 10th. The Kiwi struggled to maximise his tyres and got boxed out and expressed his frustrations.

“Who drives the #34? What a spud, man,” said van Gisbergen.

At the head of the field, Busch found himself embroiled in a battle with Bell and ultimately fell to fifth as his tyres wore.

Bell snagged the lead from Busch and never lost the advantage from there. Byron was second, Reddick third, and Elliott fourth.

Van Gisbergen eventually recovered to sixth, eight seconds off the lead.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns on March 10 (AEDT) at Phoenix Raceway.

Results: NASCAR Cup Series Echopark Automotive Grand Prix, Circuit of the Americas