Within the first worldwide points-paying race for the NASCAR Cup Sequence since 1958, it was New Zealand’s Shane van Gisbergen who drove away to a dominant win south of the border.
Listed below are three takeaways from the Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez:
Van Gisbergen places on a present for first win of season
Coming into Sunday, van Gisbergen solely had one prior top-10 end this season and entered thirty third in factors. After main a race-high 60 laps and selecting up the Stage 2 win, van Gisbergen vaults to ninth within the playoff standings.
It’s van Gisbergen’s second Cup Sequence win after claiming the inaugural Chicago Road Race in 2023. Per NASCAR Insights, he’s the first driver since Marvin Porter in 1960 to win his first two races in inaugural races at a observe. His 16.567-second margin of victory is the biggest within the Cup Sequence since Kurt Busch at Texas in 2009.
Regardless of feeling underneath the climate on Sunday, van Gisbergen made a press release to turn out to be the primary Cup Sequence winner in Mexico Metropolis.
Daniel Suarez comes up brief in quest for weekend sweep in residence nation
A day faraway from his emotional Xfinity Series win on Saturday, Suarez couldn’t replicate the efficiency on Sunday. Regardless of operating towards the entrance within the opening stage, Suarez light to nineteenth on the conclusion of the 100-lap race.
Whereas he got here away empty-handed in Sunday’s race, it was apparent the enjoyment and appreciation he had attending to compete in entrance of his residence crowd. He couldn’t make it a sweep, but it surely was actually a weekend that Suarez is not going to neglect anytime quickly.
Historic race in Mexico Metropolis didn’t disappoint
The Cup Sequence had by no means raced in Mexico Metropolis previous to Sunday, and it positively delivered its fair proportion of moments. From the drivers having to placed on wet-weather tires in a wet opening stage and a pileup after the following restart when Kyle Busch lost control into Turn 1, it didn’t take lengthy for the motion to select up.
Though van Gisbergen gained by 16.5 seconds and utterly checked out throughout the ultimate 32-lap green-flag run to the end, Sunday’s race had technique, side-by-side battles within the tightest locations across the observe and the ingredient of rain all through the day. The end was not shut, however there have been loads of intriguing storylines across the 2.42-mile, 15-turn highway course, which is all you’ll be able to ask for.
