Shane van Gisbergen Dominates Bank of America ROVAL 400

Shane van Gisbergen captured Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. (Photo: Chloe Gunn | The Podium Finish)

CONCORD, N.C. — Shane van Gisbergen added another dazzling chapter to his NASCAR Cup Series story by conquering Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, delivering a commanding victory that underscored his road-course brilliance and Trackhouse Racing’s competitive mettle.

The New Zealander wheeled his No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet to his sixth career Cup win and fifth consecutive triumph of 2025, crossing the finish line 15.160 seconds ahead of Kyle Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. Christopher Bell finished third in the No. 20 DEWALT Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, 16.018 seconds back.

From the outset, van Gisbergen showcased poise and patience, especially after his initial ROVAL outing last year left him wanting more. Sunday’s drive, however, was a clinic in car control, tire management, and well-timed aggression that left the field in his rearview mirror.

“Yeah, it’s unbelievable. Kyle (Larson) and Christopher (Bell) were racing really well today,” van Gisbergen said after climbing from his car on the frontstretch. “They had a bit of speed on me and then got going at the end. Thank you to WeatherTech, Chevrolet, everyone at Trackhouse Racing. Our car was fast and really amazing today. Just an unreal year that we have had.”

Van Gisbergen’s dominance came from executing a two-stop pit strategy while many rivals needed three stops to remain in contention. The 35-year-old driver led 57 of 109 laps on the 2.28-mile, 17-turn road-course-oval hybrid, including the final 12 laps after outdueling Larson during the race’s climactic moments.

Asked if he could have imagined such success at the start of the season, van Gisbergen was candid.

“I don’t know. It’s just been unbelievable. We executed all of them, except for COTA. I am just over the moon.”

With his recent oval progress, including his first career top-10 finish on an oval at Kansas Speedeway a week earlier, van Gisbergen believes there’s more to come.

“Yes, things are going well,” he said. “We are getting better and better, and we’re having a blast doing it. Just speechless. It was certainly a good race, and I am so happy for everyone.”

The win also punctuated a tense Round of 12 cutoff race in the Cup Series Playoffs, where Larson and Bell were among the championship contenders jockeying for position to advance to the Round of 8. Larson threw everything he had at the eventual winner but could not match the Kiwi’s pace in the final laps.

Kyle Larson captured a runner-up in Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. (Photo: Chloe Gunn | The Podium Finish)

“I’m happy with a second-place finish for this No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet team,” Larson said. “Shane van Gisbergen is just so good. It was a fun battle with Christopher (Bell), too. To start the final stage, we were trying to break up his rhythm and race, and I thought it was playing out well. He was just so fast. I tried riding. I tried saving my tires, but I just can’t do it as well as he does. But overall, it was a great finish and momentum to head into the Round of 8.”

Larson briefly led from Laps 63 to 71 and again between Laps 92 to 95, applying pressure as the final stage unfolded. His Hendrick Motorsports crew gambled on a slightly different tire strategy to counter van Gisbergen’s long-run strength. Although the effort fell short, Larson’s runner-up finish secured his playoff advancement.

For Bell, the day became a story of perseverance and maximizing his DEWALT Toyota’s pace despite watching van Gisbergen’s No. 88 disappear up the track.

“What made the difference, I don’t know,” Bell said. “It felt kind of like the rest of the road courses. We had a hell of a race for second between me and my DEWALT Camry, (Chris) Buescher and (Kyle) Larson. It is that 88 (Shane van Gisbergen) car was what 30 seconds ahead of us. Congratulations to Shane and that Trackhouse team. They have set the bar, and we are all clearly having a hard time getting up to it.”

Christopher Bell drove a podium finish in Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. (Photo: Grady Lundberg | The Podium Finish)

Bell’s gritty third-place effort added valuable playoff points, bolstering his standing for the upcoming Round of 8.

Beyond the podium, the top-10 finishers underscored the road-course prowess of several veterans and underdogs alike.

Chris Buescher powered his No. 17 Ford to fourth place, showcasing RFK Racing’s continued road-course strength. Michael McDowell delivered a solid fifth in his No. 71 Chevrolet fielded by the emerging Spire Motorsports, further cementing his status as a perennial threat on right-and left-turn circuits.

Ryan Preece stormed from 29th on the grid to finish sixth in the No. 60 Ford, while Trackhouse’s other driver, Daniel Suárez, climbed to seventh. Chase Elliott placed eighth, AJ Allmendinger took ninth, and polesitter Tyler Reddick rounded out the top 10 after leading the opening three laps.

The race featured 15 lead changes among six drivers and was slowed by three cautions for 10 laps, including two for stage breaks and one for an incident involving Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet in Turn 5. The 109-lap event was completed in three hours, three minutes and 51 seconds at an average speed of 81.105 mph.

Van Gisbergen’s triumph wasn’t the day’s only headline. NASCAR officials disqualified Riley Herbst’s No. 35 Toyota after it failed post-race height inspection, relegating him to last place in the official results.

Meanwhile, a dramatic playoff twist emerged in the closing laps when Ross Chastain’s late gamble to pass Denny Hamlin for critical points backfired, allowing Joey Logano to advance to the Round of 8 by a mere four-point margin.

The Charlotte ROVAL has often delivered chaotic finishes since its 2018 debut, and Sunday’s showdown was no exception though this year’s story was dominated by van Gisbergen’s methodical control at the front of the field.

His fifth consecutive road-course victory ties him one shy of Jeff Gordon’s streak of six straight road-course wins achieved between 1997 and 2000. This accomplishment further cements van Gisbergen’s reputation as NASCAR’s newest road-course specialist, even as he continues to develop on ovals.

Shane van Gisbergen could not be defeated in Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. (Photo: Grady Lundberg | The Podium Finish)

Heading into the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, van Gisbergen carries enormous confidence, and while his playoff hopes were ended earlier in the postseason, his ability to steal wins and disrupt title contenders remains a storyline to watch.

For fans and competitors alike, Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 was a testament to strategy, finesse, and the evolving talent shaping the Cup Series field. And as the 2025 campaign marches toward its championship climax, one certainty has emerged: any road course on the schedule runs squarely through Shane van Gisbergen.

Stage 1 Top 10 Finishers

1. Shane van Gisbergen (R)
2. Kyle Larson
3. Ty Gibbs
4. Christopher Bell
5. Ross Chastain
6. Michael McDowell
7. Chase Briscoe
8. Chase Elliott
9. William Byron
10. Ty Dillon

Stage 2 Top 10 Finishers

1. Ryan Blaney
2. Tyler Reddick
3. Chase Elliott
4. Ross Chastain
5. Shane van Gisbergen (R)
6. Kyle Larson
7. Christopher Bell
8. Joey Logano
9. Daniel Suárez
10. Cole Custer

Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL Race Results

Shane van Gisbergen captured his fifth win of the 2025 season in Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte ROVAL. (Photo: Grady Lundberg | The Podium Finish)