‘What we’ve got to do’: SVG races forward at Indianapolis

Van Gisbergen qualified 25th a day earlier in the #97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro and finished Stage 1 in 31st and Stage 2 in 27th.

Stage 3 was where he made the most headway, making ground during the late pit stop sequence and when Ryan Blaney and John Hunter Nemechek clashed on Lap 120.

“Not what we wanted, but what we needed,” said van Gisbergen’s crew chief Stephen Doran.

Van Gisbergen replied: “That’s what we’ve got to do when we’re not there, we’ve got to have those days.”

Van Gisbergen was the third-best Chevrolet Camaro on a day dominated by Toyota and Ford. Just one Camaro featured in the top 10. Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar was ninth.

With his 16th place finish, SVG dropped one place in the standings to 15th while Team Penske’s Joey Logano climbed two places to 13th after finishing third.

Corey Heim was victorious for 23XI Racing in a thrilling conclusion to the race, holding off Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell.

The part-timer made the decisive move on Lap 116 when he vaulted from third to the lead during the pit stop sequence.

Heim survived an attack from Denny Hamlin on the Lap 127 restart. Heim blocked, which compromised Hamlin and left him vulnerable to Bell. He got by Hamlin and so too Logano.

It’s the second career win for the 24-year-old, who won earlier this year at the Coronado Naval Base.

“That was a damn handful. I was hanging on for dear life once the shade went down and the pace picked up,” said Heim.

“My car got really loose and I had never been in a lot of clean air all day. That was the hardest I’ve ever fought in my life to just make sure I focused on exits and kept them in dirty air.

“I’m pretty out of breath. That was a workout. This is a dream come true, to win at the Brickyard.

“I just had to be aggressive. It’s for the win. I’d have to see it back to see if I did anything wrong, but I think we both know we’re racing for the win.

“He has every right to be frustrated with me, but I feel like he would have done the same thing.

“Just had to be on top of it. Got a good push from [Joey Logano] to be in position, so thanks to him.”

It was a bittersweet result for 23XI Racing co-owner Hamlin, who finished fifth after losing out to teammate Chase Briscoe late.

“Everyone’s trying to fight to win the race – and when you’re clear by an inch, you’re going to take that inch,” said Hamlin.

“It’s really more on us and the #20 (Christopher Bell) and the #19 (Chase Briscoe) not orchestrating good pushes there. We became detached at the wrong time.

“I thought the #20 was on board with giving us the push, it just was way too early before the restart zone. I can’t go until I get to the restart zone.

“He said that Briscoe was on him way, way early or laying back. That’s how you lose them. These restarts, when everyone kind of knows when you’re going to go, it’s about the pushes.”

The NASCAR Cup Series takes a one-week break before returning at Iowa Speedway on August 10.

Results: NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400, Indianapolis Motor Speedway