Shane Van Gisbergen Dominates to Win Inaugural NASCAR Cup Series Event in Mexico

Nothing was stopping Shane Van Gisbergen's pursuit of victory in the Viva Mexico 250 on Sunday.

Race Results: NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250

The New Zealand native dominated the NASCAR Cup Series' inaugural event at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, winning by more than 16 seconds ahead of Christopher Bell.

While the end result made it look easy, it was anything but a Sunday drive at times for Van Gisbergen. Rain showers throughout the first half of the race challenged the entire field, and "SVG" battled an illness throughout the day.

There was also a brief scare following his final pit stop, when Van Gisbergen believed he had a loose wheel. However, his Trackhouse Racing team was able to confirm all four wheels were tight on the No. 88 Chevrolet, giving him the ability to chase the win.

"What a week," said Van Gisbergen. "I've really enjoyed myself here. I felt pretty rubbish today.

"Thank you to Safety Culture, Trackhouse, Chevy, ECR Engines. Our car was amazing. I think the 54 was close, but that last stint, man. What a pleasure, just ripping lap after lap and watching them get smaller in the mirror. Unreal."

Van Gisbergen's margin of victory was the largest in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2009 at Texas Motor Speedway, in a race won by Kurt Busch on fuel mileage. At times, his team even wanted him to slow down to avoid any unnecessary mistakes, but Van Gisbergen urged his team to let him go and focus on hitting his marks.

"It was certainly up there. I've been privileged to have some great ones in my time," said of his car. "When I'd go slower, I'd just lose concentration. I was just trying to stay in a rhythm and a routine. Josh [Williams] and Stephen [Doran] were doing a great job keeping me calm and focused. That was epic."

Before the race, Van Gisbergen also reached out to a fellow Red Bull racer, Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen. While the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was a new venue for NASCAR, it hosts Formula 1's Mexico City Grand Prix each year, and vVn Gisbergen looked to pick Verstappen's mind on how to approach the circuit.

"A little bit in the wet, just what lines to take and how to approach it," he said. "What a guy. I don't know how it went [for Verstappen] today [in Montreal], but hopefully it went well."

Christopher Bell finished a distant second, but was happy with the outcome. He believed his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Ty Gibbs, had a better chance to challenge Van Gisbergen for the victory, but a lap 66 caution threw a wrench in Gibbs' strategy and relegated him to an 11th-place finish.

"[Van Gisbergen] was really good," said Bell. "Ultimately, it was just a third-place day. I felt like Ty was really good. The yellow flag bit him and we walked away with second. In the Xfinity car, I felt like I was a third-place car, and today I felt like I was a third-place car.

"More than anything, I think it was just me. I need to do a little bit more homework to figure out where I can be better to keep up with these guys. The Joe Gibbs Racing group brought an amazing Mobil 1 Camry. I can't really say that my car was lacking. I think it was on my this weekend."

Chase Elliott finished third, followed by Alex Bowman and Michael McDowell. John Hunter Nemechek, Chase Briscoe, Cole Custer, William Byron and Chris Buescher rounded out the top 10.

Van Gisbergen's victory is his second in the NASCAR Cup Series, and his second in an inaugural running of an event. TWo years ago, he won the first Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Circuit in his NASCAR Cup Series debut. This win also punches his playoff ticket during his first full-time season in NASCAR's premier division.

The next stop for the NASCAR Cup Series is Pocono Raceway for The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA.COM. The race on Sunday, June 22 takes the green flag at 2 p.m. ET, with coverage on Prime Video, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-Photo credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images