After qualifying 33rd, the Trackhouse Racing driver went a lap down in Stage 1 and finished the first leg where he started.
Van Gisbergen got to 30th and was one place away from being in the Lucky Dog position when he spun on his own.
The #97 Chevrolet Camaro slid up the track and took several cars with him into the wall.
Other victims of the melee included the #42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota Camry of John Hunter Nemechek, Alex Bowman’s #48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro, and Todd Gilliland in the #34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang.
Bowman’s car was damaged most, with all four corners of his Camaro wounded in the tangle.
Van Gisbergen, Nemechek, and Bowman were all relegated to the pits.
Shane van Gisbergen went around and collected John Hunter Nemechek and Alex Bowman. Slight contact for Todd Gilliland as he was checking up. SVG has gone behind the wall. pic.twitter.com/QvGNYv9tEl
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 12, 2026
After lengthy repairs, van Gisbergen eventually returned to the race more than 100 laps down.
SVG finished 34th with 335 laps logged to his name
“Tough race today, but glad we were able to finish as many laps as we could,” said van Gisbergen.
“Bristol is a difficult track for me, but just need to continue to figure out what works best here for my driving style.
“We’ll learn from this and hopefully have a better crack at it later this year.”
The NASCAR Cup Series returns on April 20 at Kansas Speedway.
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