Van Gisbergen was running seventh when he got nudged by the #26 of Dean Thompson and forced below the yellow line.

Then Thompson got hit by Jordan Anderson in the #32, causing the #26 to hook the right rear of the #97 car.

Van Gisbergen shot up the race track and into the concrete wall, taking several cars with him.

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

Playoffs contender Austin Hill suffered significant cosmetic damage to the #21 and van Gisbergen’s teammate Josh Williams in the #11 was another innocent victim as well as the #19 of Taylor Gray.

“We were pretty loose. It was pretty tough,” said van Gisbergen.

“The WeatherTech Camaro was fast though. We got some good stage points, Stage 2, and was running up for most of that last one.

“Just got pushed out of line, put myself in a bad spot. I thought I saved it and then there must have been some other stuff happening and I got caught up in it. That sucked.”

Trouble in the tri-oval!

The Nos. 97 and 21 are among those collected. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/VTjeyPkryf

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) October 5, 2024

It marked an early end to a solid showing for the Kaulig Racing driver who began the race in eighth.

Van Gisbergen struggled in Stage 1 with a loose car and wound up 23rd before the break.

“I don’t know how we start these races so bad,” said van Gisbergen at the end of Stage 1.

“It’s ridiculous how loose it is. Entry and exit, the rear was just on top of the road wheel spinning.

“Eventually I wasn’t good in the centre because the rears were killed.”

A new set of tyres and a slew of changes got the #97 more competitive and a late surge at the end of Stage 2 saw van Gisbergen climb through from 22nd to fourth in five laps.

Some big moves in the closing moments of Stage 2. 😳 pic.twitter.com/f7DPziKshS

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) October 5, 2024

Van Gisbergen ran competitively inside the top 10 for the lion’s share of Stage 3, leading the middle lane.

He briefly tried the bottom lane but complained the car was too loose.

Before he could commit to running the middle lane again, van Gisbergen got turned and taken out of the contest.

It’s a brutal blow to van Gisbergen’s playoff progression hopes. His Stage 2 result put him nine points above the cut line, but the DNF has dropped him well below it.

Expectations are high heading into the final race in the Round of 12 with the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway to come in a weeks’ time.

“I don’t know what the points are,” said van Gisbergen.

“We’ll see how far in a hole we are. Just got to prepare well, turn up with a fast car next week and get as many points as we can and hopefully get through okay.

“Tracks like this are different to tracks next week, so hopefully we can have a smooth day and get some stage points and be there at the end.

“I really wanted to do well today, so gutted for all the Kaulig Racing guys.”

Results: NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 250, Talladega Superspeedway

Get the latest NASCAR news, stats, and US racing coverage at Speedcafe US