Despite starting on pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race in San Diego and with a favorite tag on his shoulder, Shane van Gisbergen failed to convert it into a win and went home with a DNF. For a driver relying considerably on his road course prowess to take him to the playoffs, the result meant trouble.

The Trackhouse Racing driver fell prey to a multi-car wreck on a Lap 32 restart, which ended his day prematurely, leaving him feeling "filthy." He first spoke about the nature of the street track, saying (in a video posted by Matt Weaver on X):

"It was unreal fast once the track kind of rubbered up. A real shame (that we crashed)."

When asked what started the incident, a disappointed SVG said, "Ask the next guys."

When asked whether it was a racing incident, he replied, "It’s just unfortunate."

And finally, when reporters quizzed him on how disappointed he was, SVG said, "I’m filthy."

The wreck unfolded when Connor Zilisch and Austin Hill were fighting for the race lead, heading into Turn 1. Going into the corner, Hill locked up his rear brakes, missed the apex, pushed up to the track, and pinned Zilisch directly against the outside wall.

SVG, who was closely following the duo, had nowhere to go and got collected in the wreck. What followed was a chain reaction involving as many as nine drivers.

Currently, SVG stands five points away from the playoff berth, and if the race had gone his way, he could have broken into the top 16.

The wreck damaged the outside wall in Turn 1, as NASCAR officials immediately red-flagged the event to repair the damage. Besides, Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch, Austin Hill, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez, Michael McDowell, and John Hunter Nemechek, among many others, were involved.

SVG's teammate pinned the blame on Austin Hill

Connor Zilisch, Shane van Gisbergen's Trackhouse teammate, blamed Austin Hill for the wreck, which jeopardized his and his teammate's race. Speaking to the media after the race, the No. 88 driver said (via Frontstretch):

"He was pretty far from the wall and didn’t give me any space. I wouldn’t call it aggressive, I’d call it a little more egregious than that. That’s how it goes sometimes."

When asked if he was injured in the incident, Zilisch replied:

“It was a big hit. Concrete walls are no joke, but I’m thankful for the safety of these cars and how far we’ve come as an industry. It’s rare you feel fine after a wreck, and that’s the case today. It’s unfortunate for us. Our car was really fast today."

23XI Racing's young driver, Corey Heim, claimed the victory and picked up the first-ever Cup Series win of his career. His teammate, Bubba Wallace, came home in second place, ahead of Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Yash Kotak