CHICAGO — Australian Supercars champion Shane Van Gisbergen mastered the streets of Chicago in his NASCAR debut to win the first street course race in NASCAR Cup Series history.
Van Gisbergen, a native of Aukland, New Zealand, drove his way through the field after strategy got him and other leaders stuck behind about a dozen cars during the last half of the race.
With just five laps to go, Van Gisbergen raced his way around Justin Haley to take the win in his first NASCAR start. Van Gisbergen is just the seventh driver to win in his Cup Series debut and the first since Johnny Rutherford did it in 1963 at Daytona.
"This was so cool. This is what you dream of. Hopefully I can come and do more," Van Gisbergen said after the race to NBC Sports. "The racing was really good... it was tough but a lot of fun."
The race's start time was up in the air as rain fell down on the track throughout the afternoon. Initially planned for a 4 p.m. local start, the race was delayed about an hour late while the track was still wet.
With wet weather tires strapped on, the field took the green flag for the first time ever on the streets of Chicago with Denny Hamlin out front.
Tyler Reddick quickly passed Hamlin for the lead on the first lap and asserted himself as a dominant car in the early goings.
Hamlin's bid for the win virtually ended on just the second lap when he slid in turn two and slapped the tire barrier.
Just one lap later, Kyle Busch became the first victim of turn six when he smashed into the tire barrier and got trapped underneath, bringing out a caution. His car suffered minimal damage in the wreck and he rebounded to finish fifth.
Christopher Bell would soon after pass Reddick for the lead and set up a close battle for the top spot between themselves and Van Gisbergen.
Noah Gragson had a bout with the turn six tire barrier all race long. His first mishap came on lap 12 when he smashed into the obstacle, prompting another caution. Gragson brought out another caution for the same thing on lap 29.
Bell won the first stage under green and won the second stage under caution after Alex Bowman stalled on the track.
Impending darkness prompted NASCAR to shorten the race from 100 laps to 75 laps, flipping team strategy upside down.
Front-running drivers Bell, Reddick, Kyle Larson, Van Gisbergen, and Daniel Suárez, among others, got trapped behind over a dozen drivers that chose not to pit when they did, leaving Justin Haley in the lead.
That sequence led to some of the top contenders losing their chance at the win.
William Byron missed turn 11, causing Corey LaJoie to check up and get hit by Kevin Harvick. The two spun and blocked most of the track, causing damage to over a dozen cars.
Haley continued to lead with Austin Dillon and Chase Elliott running close behind. All three knew that a win would solidify their chances of making the playoffs.
Reddick got stuck in the turn six tire barriers with around 18 laps to go, bringing out another caution. Bell had spun in turn one a lap before that, ending the hopes for two of the race's most dominant drivers.
Dillon kept pace with Haley when the race restarted but soon after smashed the wall and crashed out of the race.
As Haley watched another competitor go down in his rear view mirror, he saw Van Gisbergen closing in at a fast rate.
Van Gisbergen caught Haley and was about to pass him with around 10 laps remaining when Martin Truex Jr. got stuck in the turn one tire barrier, bringing out another caution.
Van Gisbergen gained the lead once the race restarted and built a respectable advantage.
The race was forced into overtime after Bubba Wallace and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wrecked but Van Gisbergen was unphased and drove off for his first win.
Haley finished second, Elliott finished third, Larson finished fourth, and Busch rounded out the top five.
The NASCAR Cup Series is next in action on Sunday, July 9 for the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
