Van Gisbergen qualified 29th and at the end of Stage 1 was 33rd. The Kiwi opted to take soft compound tyres at the start of Stage 2 and made immediate headway.

By the time the caution came out on Lap 92 for Michael McDowell’s crash, van Gisbergen was up to 19th.

Buried in the midpack, van Gisbergen was left with nowhere to go on the Lap 99 race restart when Chase Briscoe’s #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry clipped the side of Justin Haley in the #7 Spire Motorsports Camaro and launched into the air.

At the same time, Briscoe’s car made contact with the #7 Carson Hocevar Camaro in the other Spire Motorsports entry.

In the ensuing chaos, Haley spun around into the path of van Gisbergen. The Kiwi copped another hit from the #6 RFK Racing Ford Mustang of Brad Keselowski before another hit from behind by the #34 Front Row Motorsports Mustang of Todd Gilliland.

Several more cars were caught in the melee, including the Haas Factory Team #41 Mustang of Cole Custer and the #35 Camry driven by 23XI Racing’s Riley Herbst.

‘We’re done,” van Gisbergen said over the radio.

“I’m gonna try [bring it to the pits], but it doesn’t look or feel good.

“I’ve still got steering but it doesn’t feel good at all. I’ve still got oil pressure and water pressure but a lot of smoke.”

Big trouble in Phoenix! https://t.co/S6ZediutAp pic.twitter.com/vgaQ5rovlV

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 9, 2025

Here’s what happened:

(That was a BIG hit for Chase Briscoe)#NASCARonFS1 | https://t.co/mRRDpA6iAy https://t.co/MjtTFBeQJL pic.twitter.com/Lg3uB27jnC

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 9, 2025

Van Gisbergen limped back to the pits where his team attempted to complete repairs. The #88 Camaro briefly made its way back onto the track but was forced to retire with a steering issue.

“They were racing four-wide. I hoped over a wheel and there wasn’t much I could do,” said van Gisbergen.

“I tried to pull it up and got a bit loose. We were getting better and better as the race went on.

“I felt like the #88 WeatherTech Chevy was getting better, too. It’s a shame we’re still not out there learning.”

After being released from the medical centre., Hocevar offered his assessment of the crash.

“Yeah, it’s frustrating. The car was fast,” said Hocevar.

“I felt like our Chevrolet was pretty good and we just got behind on a pit stop and just playing the tyre game. I shouldn’t have been back there, it was really the result of it was, unfortunately.

“We had good track position, just the way that cycle worked out we were just back there in the mess. Unfortunate, but our Spire cars are fast and I’m sure they’ll be fast again.”

Van Gisbergen’s next race is the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 17 (AEDT).

For more of the latest NASCAR news and analysis, visit Speedcafe US