In his first career NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) start, Shane Van Gisbergen added his name to the history books after driving the No. 91 Enhance Health Camaro ZL1 to the victory in the inaugural Chicago Street Race. The latest Chevrolet driver to make the crossover into NASCAR’s premier series, Van Gisbergen delivered Trackhouse Racing’s PROJECT91 its first win in the entry’s third-ever start.
“Thank you so much to the Trackhouse team, Enhance Health, PROJECT91,” said Van Gisbergen. “What an experience in the crowd out here. This was so cool. This is what you dream of. Hopefully I can come and do more.”
Also driving a Camaro ZL1 in the Supercars Championship, Van Gisbergen turned his first laps behind the wheel of a Next Gen Camaro ZL1 as the series hit the streets of Chicago for a 50-minute practice session. The Chevrolet driver proved to be a contender from the start – topping the leaderboard in practice and going on to post a third-place qualifying effort ahead of the series’ street race debut.
At the drop of the green flag, Van Gisbergen maintained a running position at the front of the field – driving his Camaro Zl1 to top-five finishes in the race’s first two stages. With the window of daylight closing at the end of Stage Two, the series made the decision to shorten the event by 25 laps, heightening the importance of pit strategy. PROJECT91’s Crew Chief Darian Grubb opted for a fresh set of tires for the event’s closing laps – putting Van Gisbergen in the eighth position for the lap 61 restart.
Showcasing his mastery making left- and right-hand turns, Van Gisbergen powered through the field to battle a group of Chevrolet drivers at the front of the pack. Closing in on race leader Justin Haley with less than 10 laps to go, Van Gisbergen made the final pass for the top position on lap 71 and never looked back – driving through an overtime finish to claim the historic victory.
Van Gisbergen’s win was celebrated by a strong Bowtie brigade in tow with Chevrolet drivers performing a sweep of the top-five finishing positions in the inaugural event. Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley drove to season-best runner-up finish in his No. 31 Benesch Law Camaro ZL1. Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson came home in the third and fourth-positions, respectively; and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five. The last time Chevrolet accomplished a top-five sweep also came on a road course circuit – recorded one year ago at Road America (July 3, 2022).
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the Quaker State 400 available at Walmart on Sunday, July 9, at 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
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