Updated

Updated · Tennessean · Aug 23

Shane van Gisbergen Takes Dollar Tree 301 Lead After Tyler Reddick Spins on Lap 1

Updated

Updated · Tennessean · Aug 23

Shane van Gisbergen Takes Dollar Tree 301 Lead After Tyler Reddick Spins on Lap 1

Q: What hidden advantage allowed Shane van Gisbergen to conquer the damp New Hampshire oval while veterans spun out?

Shane van Gisbergen’s hidden advantage was his wet-weather background and comfort finding grip on a changing surface, a skill many longtime oval specialists do not use as often. The New Zealander built his reputation in Supercars and on road and street courses, where racing in mixed or damp conditions is far more common and drivers must constantly search for the best line, manage wheelspin and braking, and adapt corner by corner. That translated well when New Hampshire opened on wet-weather tires and the groove was unsettled. While others spun — including pole-sitter Tyler Reddick and John Hunter Nemechek — van Gisbergen was able to read the slick patches and capitalize when William Byron slipped. That advantage was not just about experience in the rain. It was also about feel. Recent reporting around van Gisbergen’s NASCAR transition has repeatedly highlighted his ability to “find the limit,” experiment with lines, and benefit from extra track time as conditions evolve. On a damp, flat one-mile oval where grip changed lap by lap, that adaptability mattered as much as outright speed. So the edge was partly hidden because it did not come from oval pedigree. It came from skills honed outside traditional NASCAR racing: wet-surface car control, rapid adjustment to inconsistent grip, and a road-racer’s instinct for where the track still had adhesion. On Sunday, those traits let van Gisbergen look composed while more established Cup veterans were caught out.

3 articles · Updated · Tennessean · Aug 23

Shane van Gisbergen moved to the front at New Hampshire after pole-sitter Tyler Reddick spun off Turn 4 before the field completed a full green-flag lap, dropping to 36th and about a half-lap down.
Wet-weather tires stayed on as light rain and drying lines reshaped the race, with drivers avoiding slick lower grooves and NASCAR monitoring whether pit road was competitive.
William Byron briefly reclaimed the lead before slipping, allowing van Gisbergen back through; Byron's team warned him to protect the right-front tire.
John Hunter Nemechek later spun in Turn 3, brushed the outside wall and continued under green, but fell a lap down after running 25th.
The 301-lap race at the 1.058-mile Loudon oval is the next-to-last Cup event before Daytona, with van Gisbergen entering fifth on the grid and 50 points above the Chase cutline.