Shane van Gisbergen Didn’t Mean to Crush the NASCAR Field Despite His Record-Setting Mexico Drive

The cloudy skies and an energetic crowd in Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez witnessed something spectacular from the NASCAR race on Sunday. Shane van Gisbergen took the road course by storm and dominated it from pole position to Victory Lane in a fashion unseen for a long, long time. Given his form so far in the season, SVG was never expected to win, forget domination.

The margin of victory the New Zealander posted over second-placed Christopher Bell was an astounding 16.567 seconds. This is the largest victory margin a driver has posted in the Next Gen era.

SVG’s win margin is the largest since Kurt Busch’s victory in Texas back in 2009. Busch won that race by 25.686 seconds. It was a fuel mileage race that had only six cars finish on the lead lap. Van Gisbergen reflected on the achievement, explaining how he and the car were in perfect rhythm on Sunday.

“The tire life was epic, and they kept getting smaller in the mirror. Then they’re telling me to slow down, and I tried to slow down. But I kept making mistakes. You just lose concentration. So, I stayed in a nice rhythm, and see you later,” said SVG.

There was another landmark too. With the victory, Van Gisbergen is now the first driver since Marvin Porter in 1960 to win his first two career Cup Series races at tracks hosting inaugural events. SVG had also won NASCAR’s inaugural Chicago Street Course race in 2023.

Shane van Gisbergen wins at Mexico City, he is the first driver since Marvin Porter in 1960 to win his first two races in inaugural Cup races at a track.

SVG won by 16.567 seconds, the largest margin of victory in the Cup Series since Kurt Busch at Texas in Fall 2009. pic.twitter.com/tWC107zxoW

— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) June 15, 2025

With this victory in Mexico City, SVG has now secured a spot in the playoffs.

Daniel Suárez’s show of support to Van Gisbergen

SVG’s Trackhouse teammate Daniel Suárez was the man of the weekend as the Cup Series made its long-awaited debut in his native country. He raced in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports on Saturday and delighted the crowds with a win.

With the grandstands chanting his name and children singing the Mexican national anthem ahead of the Cup race, he was brimming with emotions. Suárez ended his day with a 19th-place finish. He pulled up alongside Van Gisbergen’s car in the cool-down lap to offer his congratulations.

In the press briefing later, Suárez explained how things transpired for him on his home track.

“I feel like today, I gave my best, but it just wasn’t good enough. I wish I were in the mix a little more, fighting up front, but it just wasn’t in the cards today. I’m happy with the performance. I don’t feel like I left anything on the table, just wasn’t meant to be,” said Suárez.

The international visit to Mexico City turned out to be a huge success thanks to the Trackhouse Racing teammates. Hopefully, they will be able to carry the momentum gained from their wins when the season resumes in the U.S.