Shane Van Gisbergen dominates on way to NASCAR Cup Series win in Mexico City

An overcast sky and early afternoon drizzle couldn’t dampen the spirits of the massive crowd at Mexico City‘s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Sunday. They were there for a historic event: the first points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race outside the United States in 50 years, and it did not disappoint.

New Zealander Shane Van Gisbergen, 36, continued his impressive streak of winning inaugural NASCAR races. Two years after his series debut victory on the streets of Chicago, Van Gisbergen once again proved his prowess.

Driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing, he secured a commanding 16.567-second win over Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Christopher Bell in the Viva Mexico 250. This marked the largest margin of victory this season.

The three-time Australian Supercars champion, now in his first full-time NASCAR Cup Series season, started from pole position and led 60 of the 100 laps, including the final 32. He steadily pulled away from the competition, extending his lead by nearly a second in each of the last five laps, ultimately clinching his first-ever berth in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

“What a week, I’ve really enjoyed myself here, but felt like rubbish this morning,” said Van Gisbergen, whose victory was only his second Top 10 finish of the season. He added, “Our car was amazing. The 54 [Ty Gibbs] was close but that last stint, what a pleasure, just ripping lap after lap and watching them get smaller in the mirror.”

While Van Gisbergen’s performance was masterful, the crowd’s true devotion was directed toward his Trackhouse teammate, Mexico native Daniel Suárez. Suárez was celebrated as a hero after his victory in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

The grandstands erupted with chants of “Dan-iel Dan-iel,” and fans proudly displayed signs of support. An emotional Suárez stood by his car on the starting grid as a local children’s choir sang the Mexican national anthem before the race. He briefly led early in the race and ultimately finished 19th, making a pass on the final lap.

After the race, Suárez pulled his car alongside Van Gisbergen’s to offer his congratulations. “I feel like today, I gave my best, but it just wasn’t good enough,” Suárez reflected. “I wish I was in the mix a little more fighting up front, but it just wasn’t in the cards today. I’m happy with the performance, I don’t feel like I left anything on the table, just wasn’t meant to be.”

Suárez, who has tirelessly worked to promote the Mexico City event, was ecstatic about the overall experience. “It couldn’t have been any better,” a proud Suárez stated. “I’ve been here since Tuesday just working, doing promotion for sponsors, for the race itself, for fans. Every single thing that we did exceeded my expectations. The fans were amazing. Yesterday you could hear them for their passions. It is an experience I for sure won’t forget for a very very long time.”

The New Zealand national anthem filled the stadium speakers as NASCAR held a unique post-race celebration. The top three finishers – Van Gisbergen, Bell, and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott – stood on podiums and hoisted their trophies.

Van Gisbergen’s victory was particularly satisfying given the challenges he faced during the week. He felt ill on Sunday morning, and his crew experienced travel delays, arriving a day later than other teams. Despite this, he had to tell his crew chief to stop urging him to “slow down” in the closing laps, explaining, “I was just trying to stay in a rhythm.”

He even shared that he had texted his friend and fellow Red Bull-sponsored racer, reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen (a five-time Mexico City F1 race winner), who offered tips on braking zones and racing lines. Van Gisbergen capped off his dominant day by punting a rugby ball into the cheering grandstand, giving the crowd an unforgettable moment.

While Van Gisbergen stole the show, Christopher Bell‘s runner-up finish was also impressive, considering he started 31st. Chase Elliott steadily moved through the field, cracking the Top 5 with about 25 laps remaining. Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman finished fourth, and Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell came in fifth.

The rest of the Top 10 included John Hunter Nemechek, Chase Briscoe, Cole Custer, championship points leader William Byron, and Chris Buescher.

A brief post-race confrontation on pit road involving Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carson Hocevar also made headlines. The incident stemmed from an earlier event two weeks ago in Nashville. Stenhouse, a former Daytona 500 winner, exchanged words with the 22-year-old Hocevar, later telling reporters he promised to settle the score. Stenhouse finished 27th, and Hocevar was 34th.

Championship front-runner Kyle Larson‘s day ended early after being involved in an eight-car accident just seven laps into the race. He finished 36th, 38 laps down, a significant setback that now places him 67 points behind his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron with 10 races left to determine the Playoff field of 16.

The series will return to the United States for next Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400, scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, broadcast on Amazon Prime, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Ryan Blaney is the defending race winner.

NASCAR Cup Series: Viva Mexico 250

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Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
Mexico City, Mexico
Sunday, June 15, 2025

1. (1) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 100.
2. (31) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 100.
3. (12) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 100.
4. (29) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 100.
5. (5) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 100.
6. (32) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 100.
7. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 100.
8. (26) Cole Custer, Ford, 100.
9. (27) William Byron, Chevrolet, 100.
10. (16) Chris Buescher, Ford, 100.
11. (4) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 100.
12. (25) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 100.
13. (8) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 100.
14. (18) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 100.
15. (2) Ryan Preece, Ford, 100.
16. (3) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 100.
17. (14) Erik Jones, Toyota, 100.
18. (20) Austin Cindric, Ford, 100.
19. (10) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 100.
20. (22) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 100.
21. (9) Joey Logano, Ford, 100.
22. (7) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 100.
23. (36) Ryan Truex(i), Toyota, 100.
24. (17) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 100.
25. (30) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 100.
26. (13) Josh Berry, Ford, 100.
27. (33) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 100.
28. (21) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 100.
29. (15) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 100.
30. (35) Noah Gragson, Ford, 100.
31. (34) Cody Ware, Ford, 100.
32. (37) Katherine Legge, Chevrolet, 99.
33. (28) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 99.
34. (23) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 99.
35. (24) Zane Smith, Ford, Drivetrain, 76.
36. (6) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 58.
37. (11) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, Accident, 6.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 74.82 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 14 Mins, 4 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 16.567 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 6 for 16 laps.
Lead Changes: 14 among 8 drivers.