Shane van Gisbergen was on the verge of a breakthrough this weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway. He qualified to start the All-Star Open from pole position after posting incredible speed on the track. His pit crew also exhibited equally impressive work on pit road.
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However, the glimpses of excellence soon disappeared into nothingness in the main event. Gisbergen started his race strong as he took the lead into Turn 1, followed by Carson Hocevar.
Behind them, Michael McDowell raced to third and began a tough battle for second with the Spire Motorsports youngster as the All-Star Open field got racier. He eventually passed Hocevar and began closing the gap on Gisbergen as well. The former Supercars champion managed to hold his lead to a point.
A mandatory All-Star caution came out on Lap 52 to change the proceedings. Pit strategy became crucial, and the Kiwi driver’s crew decided to go for four fresh tires.
Others, including Hocevar, took two tires. This caused him to shift back to sixth place on pit exit and gave reason for Trackhouse Racing to doubt their decision to bank on grip.
The rest of the race was a show of agony watching the driver lose position continually before he ended up in 14th place with six laps to go. The gamble to take on four tires proved costly in a race where track position mattered.
The range of emotions Gisbergen experienced throughout the day left him unsure of how he should feel after getting out of the car. He told the press, “I don’t know whether to smile or cry. It’s been a dismal year for us. But I feel like we’re getting better every week. This shows it.”
“It was awesome to lead some laps. I was out front driving like a grandma and felt like it was easy. But I still felt like the tires were going to come off. We took four. Once I was back there, no grip, and I put myself in some bad spots, too,” he added.
Was awesome to lead some laps in the @WeatherTech Chevy out front, I feel like we are getting better every week and that showed it. We felt like the tyres were going to wear off in the second half so we took on four which hurt us in the end. Progress 💪💪 pic.twitter.com/7UJqT1Kvtr
— Shane van Gisbergen (@shanevg97) May 19, 2025
Despite a disappointing 13th-place finish in the end, leading 54 laps from pole position was a remarkable highlight to his day and season. Back in the points-paying real world, he has finished just a single race in the top 10 thus far. The other eleven races he has started in the 2025 Cup Series season have all ended up in finishes of 20th or worse.
This is not how he or his team owner, Justin Marks, would have envisioned his maiden full-time season in the premier tier to go. Hopefully, his confidence that his team is getting better every week holds some weight. His next race will be at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day Weekend.
