The Auckland, New Zealand native took control of the race on lap 69 and checked out from his competition. Van Gisbergen drove out to a 16.567-second lead, the largest margin of victory since Texas in November of 2009.

“What a week,” Van Gisbergen told Marty Smith of Prime Sports. Unreal was the word Van Gisbergen used to describe the rollercoaster of emotions he and Trackhouse Racing experienced. 

Travel delays caused Van Gisbergen and crew members not to arrive at the track until Saturday morning before practice. Then to make matters worse, Van Gisbergen felt unwell on race day. 

The three-time Australian Supercar champion quickly got comfortable behind the wheel, “Just ripping lap after lap.” Van Gisbergen found his rhythm, watching the field fade in the mirror.

In shades of the streets of Chicago in 2023, Van Gisbergen showcased his prowess in handling a variety of variables. The Trackhouse driver maintained pace during wet conditions and in the dry. 

Van Gisbergen became the second driver to win their first two races at inaugural events. It also guaranteed a Playoffs berth, erasing pressure on Van Gisbergen, who was 33rd in series points. 

Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports appeared strong in the final stage and thought his team was in a great spot initially. Unfortunately, Elliott didn’t have enough to catch Van Gisbergen.

“We just pressed so hard to try to get through traffic,” Elliott said after a third-place run, scoring his best finish of the season. “To be honest, I thought that was going to be the race for the win.”

Elliott restarted with the freshest tires on lap 69, but once the field singled out, his car struggled to maintain Van Gisbergen’s pace. “It was pretty tough sledding to get to that point,” Elliott said.

After qualifying outside the top 30, Christopher Bell crossed the finish line in the second spot. Bell believed that Joe Gibbs Racing brought fast cars, but was looking for more from himself.

“I think more than anything it’s just me,” Bell said. “I need to do a little bit more homework to figure out where I can compete better to keep up with these guys.”

Bell’s teammate Ty Gibbs led the second-most laps at 27 but was pinned deep in the field due to an ill-timed caution on lap 66. Gibbs, like Elliott, had new Goodyear’s but he wound up in 11th.

Alex Bowman finished fourth to rebound from a vicious Michigan wreck, claiming his top-five since Kansas. Mexico City was not as kind to Kyle Busch, who lost control and crashed on lap 8.

This wreck took several contenders out of the hunt, including Kyle Larson. By virtue of Larson’s 36th-place result, William Byron extended his points lead to 67 with 10 regular-season races left.

Next week, NASCAR heads to the three-turned Pocono Raceway for 400 miles of racing action. The Tricky Triangle has different banking at each turn, presenting a unique challenge for drivers.

It will also be the final race streamed on Amazon Prime in 2025. Pre-race coverage at the 2.5-mile track begins Sunday, June 8 at 2 p.m. ET with the command to fire engines set to follow.