SVG Continues Road Course Dominance with Charlotte Roval Win
Shane Van Gisbergen didn’t have the pressure of the playoffs on his shoulders, but he rose above and bested everyone for a win at the Charlotte Roval. This marks his fifth win of the season and fifth road course win in a row. Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell gave Van Gisbergen a fight in the final stage, but with different pit strategies, Van Gisbergen ended up taking one less pit stop, nursed his equipment, and won the race. For four drivers, their playoff runs came to an end after the Roval.
23XI Struggles
Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Austin Cindric, who had four incidents in the race, will have to wait until next season to try to win their first championships. 23XI driver Reddick started first and needed to win to advance after not gaining enough stage points. He pitted at the end of stage one after not splitting the stage like nearly everyone else. The goal was to save a set of tires for the end of the race, but that opportunity never came for the No. 45 team. Reddick’s 23XI teammate, Wallace, was stuck in the middle of the field all day. He never had a chance to win or earn stage points, ending his postseason a week after he nearly won at Kansas, which would have advanced him to the Round of Eight there.
Chastain vs. Logano
Stage points were a necessity for Chastain, who entered the race 13 points below the cutline to Joey Logano. He picked up 13 stage points on the day, while Logano racked up three of his own. Chastain had to fight not only the number 22 of Logano, but himself. Two pit road mistakes moved the number one car further through the pack, forcing Chastain to drive through the field to regain those points. Throughout the final stage, the two were separated by less than five points, and if they were to tie, Logano held the tiebreaker.
On the final lap of the race, Chastain held the transfer spot by one point. After he missed a corner, Chastain lost a place to Denny Hamlin, which moved Logano into the transfer position. In the final chicane of the track, Chastain drove the car deep into the corner and hit Hamlin, spinning them both out. Chastain rammed his car into reverse, straining for the finish line, but it was too late at that point. Logano ended up beating Chastain by one position on the track and advanced over Chastain by four points.
SVG Does It Again
Van Gisbergen wrapped up the final road course of the 2025 season with another win. He now has six career wins, all on road courses, five of which came this season. The New Zealand native led 57 of the 109 laps in the race and won the opening stage. Had Van Gisbergen pointed his way through the first round of the playoffs, this win would have been his ticket to the Round of Eight. Now with five road course wins in a row, if Van Gisbergen can win the next road course race, it would tie Jeff Gordon’s record of six consecutive road course wins in a row from 1997 to 2000.
