Although he failed to score stage points in the 300-lapper, he delivered when it mattered most in the final stanza.
In an enthralling close to the race, van Gisbergen pipped 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick by 0.001s and Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports by 0.005s at the chequered flag.
With that, the Trackhouse Racing driver banked 32 points.
Van Gisbergen has moved to 12th as a result, while RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski dropped from 11th to 13th after he was wrecked out of the race following contact with Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon on Lap 193. Keselowski was classified 34th.
Bubba Wallace was another to suffer a slump. The 23XI Racing driver dropped from 13th to 15th after he too failed to finish the Cracker Barrel 400.
Wallace was blindsided on Lap 204 when RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece got loose and shot up the road into the path of the #23 Toyota Camry.
Secure your spot today.
Wallace went into the wall and took Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron with him into the barrier. In the end, Wallace was classified 32nd.
“It was a pretty awesome day for this #97 Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge Chevrolet team,” said van Gisbergen.
“Starting up front obviously helps, but it was cool to lead some laps and battle at the front.
“Our Chevy was running really well all night. I really enjoyed myself tonight.
“I learned a lot. I learned to be comfortable moving around in (Turns) 1 and 2, which I’ve never been able to do before.
“We just got the balance better on the two-tire strategy. When we were on a four-tyre strategy, we were lacking that.
“The two-tyre stop at the end, we were able to get the balance back again. It was a lot of fun. It definitely feels like we’re making headway.”
Reddick remains atop the points ahead of fellow Toyota driver Denny Hamlin, who won the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
NASCAR returns at Michigan International Speedway on June 8 (AEST).
NASCAR Cup Series points after Nashville Superspeedway
| Pos | Num | Driver | Team | Points | Diff | Gap | Gain/Loss | Race Wins | Stage Wins |
| 1 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | 657 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | 560 | 97 | 97 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | 483 | 174 | 77 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | 460 | 197 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | 449 | 208 | 11 | -1 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | 409 | 248 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 7 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | 399 | 258 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | 393 | 264 | 6 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | 383 | 274 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | 7 | Daniel Suarez | Spire Motorsports | 378 | 279 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | 352 | 305 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 97 | Shane Van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | 348 | 309 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | 347 | 310 | 1 | -2 | 0 | 2 |
| 14 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing | 343 | 314 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | 338 | 319 | 5 | -2 | 0 | 2 |
| 16 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | 306 | 351 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing | 304 | 353 | 2 | -1 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | 297 | 360 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports | 275 | 382 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | 272 | 385 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | 270 | 387 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | 266 | 391 | 4 | -3 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Hyak Motorsports | 263 | 394 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | 244 | 413 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | 240 | 417 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | 239 | 418 | 1 | -3 | 0 | 3 |
| 27 | 35 | Riley Herbst | 23XI Racing | 224 | 433 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | 213 | 444 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports | 202 | 455 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing | 177 | 480 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing | 174 | 483 | 3 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | 160 | 497 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team | 150 | 507 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | 88 | Connor Zilisch # | Trackhouse Racing | 147 | 510 | 3 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | 117 | 540 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
# denotes rookie driver
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