How SVG found water, spun into grass, and still finished strong at Talladega

Shane van Gisbergen had an eventful day at Talladega Superspeedway

The three-time Supercars champion started 31st at Tallladega in his third Cup start at NASCAR's biggest oval track. He quickly climbed through the field, and ended up near the front at several points during the dramatic pack race.

While he didn't lead a lap, Shane van Gisbergen remained in the lead pack for most of the race. Unfortunately, his day nearly came to an end during a cycle of green-flag pit stops at the end of Lap 112. He spun out under braking as he and a large group of cars tried to file down pit road. While spinning sideways, he made slight contact with the back of Christopher Bell's car, but managed to avoid any real damage.

Pit road mishap

Shane van Gisbergen stuck in the grass, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Chris Graythen - Getty Images

SVG reported that he hit water that was leaking out of the seams in the track, and a replay from NBC appeared to show just that. The car stepped out as he slammed on the brakes, right as he crossed over one of those wet patches.

The No. 88 Chevrolet slid off into the grass where it got stuck, as heavy overnight showers turned the infield into mud. That triggered a caution, and SVG lost a lap in the process of being rescued from his predicament. However, he was soon back on the lead lap with a free pass at the end of Stage 2, and the car hadn't lost any pace.

He continued to hang onto the lead pack for the rest of the race, and made big gains on the final restart in overtime. He restarted 18th, and quickly made ground up through the middle. Some drama for the Hendrick drivers helped propel his line forward, and at one point, it looked like he might just get another oval top ten.

Leading the way for Trackhouse

SVG crossed the line five-wide, finishing 11th, and 0.030s shy of a top ten. He also placed highest of all three Trackhouse cars, with his teammates right beside him at the checkered flag (Daniel Suarez 12th and Ross Chastain 13th).

It was a major improvement on his previous two Talladega starts, finishing 28th in his Talladega debut in 2024, and 29th earlier this year. It's also his best finish yet on a superspeedway in the Cup Series.

"Decent finish for us in the Weather Tech#88," said SVG in a social media post. "P11 is best result at a Superspeedway so far. The race started off really well, ran up front most of it, but then just put myself in a couple of bad spots. Onto Martinsville next week!"