The #88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro driver led 60 of the 100 laps, beating Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell in the #20 Toyota Camry by 15 seconds.

Victory books van Gisbergen a spot in the Playoffs, locking him into the round of 16.

The 36-year-old battled through illness, putting on a masterclass at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez before unleashing an all-time burnout in the now iconic stadium section.

“What a week, I’ve really enjoyed myself,” said van Gisbergen.

“I felt pretty rubbish today, leaking out both holes. That wasn’t fun.

“Thank you to SafetyCulture, Trackhouse, Chevy, and ECR Engines. Our car was amazing.

“I think the #54 (Ty Gibbs) was close, but that last stint, man. What a pleasure ripping lap after lap watching them get smaller and smaller in the mirror. Unreal.”

Speaking on the speed of his Chevrolet Camaro, van Gisbergen said it was “certainly up there” in the list of best cars he’s raced.

“I’ve been privileged to have some great ones in my time, but when I go slow I lose concentration so I was just trying to stay in a rhythm and a routine,” said van Gisbergen.

“Josh [Williams] and Stephen [Doran] were doing a great job keeping me calm and focused. Man, that was epic.”

A Mexico City burnout!@shanevg97 | #NASCARonPrime pic.twitter.com/r4KVNtKEDI

— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 15, 2025

The race lasted less than a lap before the caution was called for inclement weather.

That brought all but two cars to the pit lane for wet weather tyres. Ross Chastain got the jump on van Gisbergen exiting the pits.

Team Penske’s Austin Cindric and Chris Buescher for RFK Racing opted not to pit and duly inherited first and second respectively.

Ty Gibbs charged to the lead on the restart, usurping the slick-shod top two drivers. Van Gisbergen made headway too, moving up to second.

There was drama on Lap 7 when Kyle Busch lost control of his car and spun at high speed approaching Turn 1.

A big pile up causes the 2nd caution of the day.

Tune-in to @PrimeVideo now for #NASCARMexico! pic.twitter.com/MQ0FhlUHA5

— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 15, 2025

The #8 acted like a bowling ball, skittling Kyle Larson, Zane Smith, Chase Briscoe, and AJ Allmendinger.

Busch and Larson suffered significant damage while Smith, Haley, and Briscoe all lost a lap to repairs. Briscoe got his lap back during the Stage 1 break.

Racing resumed on Lap 10. Van Gisbergen held off a brief attack from Gibbs before settling into a rhythm and skipping away to a five-second lead.

Van Gisbergen pitted on Lap 18 on the stroke of two laps to go in Stage 1 for slicks as the track rapidly dried.

Ryan Preece in the #60 RFK Racing Mustang opted to stay out and take the stage win ahead of Ryan Blaney in the #12 Team Penske Mustang and Chastain.

Van Gisbergen climbed back to the fifth when those who stayed out to take Stage 1 points pitted.

Michael McDowell led Spire Motorsports teammate Carson Hocevar to the green flag. They were quickly displaced as Suarez shot to the lead with Gibbs and van Gisbergen in tow.

Suarez’s lead was short-lived as Gibbs took the top spot into the stadium section and shot out to a one-second lead.

Van Gisbergen got to second a lap later, passing into the Turn 4 hairpin. As the track improved, the top two began to trade the fastest lap times of the race.

The fourth caution came when Ryan Truex in the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Camry spun on Lap 31, eliminating Gibbs’ two-second lead over van Gisbergen.

The race resumed with 11 laps to go in the stage. Van Gisbergen challenged Gibbs for the lead but the #54 driver held sway.

Gibbs and van Gisbergen skipped away from the field to the tune of four seconds.

As the end of Stage 2 neared, the call came to van Gisbergen that rain was on the way and they would not pit before the stage’s end.

“Okay, only if you’re sure,” van Gisbergen replied, before being told he’d need to go 15 more laps beyond the end of Stage 2 on the same set of tyres.

“Man, I wish you told me that 10 laps ago,” said van Gisbergen.

The battle for the lead with Stage 2 coming to a close! #NASCARonPrime

Tune-in NOW to @PrimeVideo! pic.twitter.com/DcAQNOvz6f

— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 15, 2025

Gibbs opted to go the other way, pitting with three laps to go. That handed van Gisbergen the lead and the stage win while Gibbs was 21st.

The race resumed on the stroke of halfway. Van Gisbergen led Lap 50 with Christopher Bell alongside him in the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Bell got the lead after van Gisbergen overshot the first turn. He tried to return serve, but Bell shut the door out of Turn 4.

On Lap 52, van Gisbergen cleared Bell for the lead in the stadium section.

As his final pit stop neared, van Gisbergen radioed about the threat of rain. However, it never arrived and van Gisbergen made the call to pit.

“I know you want to get greedy, but the tyres are done,” he said.

Van Gisbergen pitted on Lap 63, ceding the lead and falling back to 29th. He was given a free kick when the caution came out moments after completing his final pit stop when the #77 spun.

It was a devastating blow for Gibbs, whose lead vanished. He was forced to pit under yellow and fell towards the back of the lead lap.

Will @shanevg97’s pit strategy pay off with a win? 👀 #NASCARonPrime pic.twitter.com/I52NMNrAlC

— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 15, 2025

Then he piped up on the radio – “I think I have a loose wheel.”

The #88 crew sought to alleviate van Gisbergen’s concerns, confirming all four wheel nuts were tight.

“It doesn’t feel good, but hopefully it’s just low pressure,” said van Gisbergen.

“The car is still tracking funny.”

The race restarted with 32 laps to go, and shortly thereafter van Gisbergen said his car felt better and that he must have had low tyre pressures.

Van Gisbergen cruised in clear air at the head of the field with Alex Bowman in the #48 in tow and Bell in third.

Despite slightly fresher tyres, Gibbs couldn’t make much headway and found himself mired in the back end of the top 10.

There were reports of rain with a little more than 20 laps to go, but it wasn’t heavy enough to warrant changing tyres.

.@shanevg97 takes the checkered flag in Mexico City! 🏁 #NASCARonPrime pic.twitter.com/95Y3BS737j

— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 15, 2025

The final stanza of the race was a relatively quiet affair. Van Gisbergen stretched his legs out to a massive lead over Bell after Bowman faded.

In the end, van Gisbergen cleared out and to claim victory by 16 seconds. Bell was second and Chase Elliott a late charger to third in the #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.

The Cup Series moves to Pocono Raceway on June 23.

Results: NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250

Get the latest NASCAR news, stats and betting insights at MotorRacing.com