Midday Sports News for 16 June 2025
New Zealand driver Shane van Gisbergen powered his way to victory through rain and chaos to win the inaugural Viva Mexico 250 NASCAR race in Mexico City.
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NZ Autocar
3 hours ago
- NZ Autocar
SVG blitzes the field at Mexican road course
Shane van Gisbergen, take a bow. The Kiwi overcame the chaos and unpredictability of Nascar's first-ever Cup Series race in Mexico City. He also did it under a cloud of nausea. Despite that, the Kiwi gave a masterclass, finishing almost 17seconds ahead of second-place getter, Christopher Bell. NASCAR made its debut at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the first time in its almost 80-year history that a race was held in Mexico City. Van Gisbergen came out firing, snatching pole position. It underlined his reputation as one of the sport's most accomplished road course racers. With other aces like Michael McDowell, AJ Allmendinger, and Kyle Larson in the mix, the stage was set for a thrilling race. As the field navigated the first few corners on Lap 1, Van Gisbergen led cleanly. However, rain soon set in, triggering the first caution. The entire field bolted for wet tyres, and Chastain leapfrogged SVG in pit lane. Restart chaos ensued. Van Gisbergen briefly dropped back as Ty Gibbs surged forward, but the Kiwi had reclaimed second spot by Lap 6. A multi-car pile-up brought the next caution. SVG restarted alongside Gibbs and the battle resumed. Van Gisbergen finally pulled ahead, and from there began to assert himself. With the rain fading and the circuit drying, SVG had built a 13-second lead and made the call to pit early for slicks with four laps of Stage 1 to go. This positioned him well for the next stage. Starting from fifth in Stage 2, Van Gisbergen and Gibbs were soon in a tussle for the lead, also dicing with Suárez. After some cautions, Gibbs elected to pit under green with two laps to go; SVG stayed out and won the stage. The final 55 laps were all about SVG race management. At the restart, he briefly lost the lead to Bell but recovered quickly and retook control on Lap 52. From there, there was no one else in it. His lead grew lap by lap, and was soon out to six seconds. With 39 laps to go, rain again threatened but SVG opted to continue. Bell pitted with 38 to go, and SVG followed a lap later for his final stop. Seconds after rejoining, Carson Hocevar brought out a caution, handing SVG the net race lead once the rest of the field pitted. After the restart he surged away once again. With 16 laps to go, Van Gisbergen's lead was up to nearly six seconds. By the time the chequered flag flew, he was almost 17 seconds ahead of the rest. On a day that delivered everything, Shane van Gisbergen triumphed. He fought off illness and the elements and reminded the NASCAR world that when it comes to road courses, he's in a league of his own. 'What a week, I've really enjoyed myself,' said van Gisbergen. 'That last stint, man. What a pleasure. Unreal.'
1News
9 hours ago
- 1News
Van Gisbergen's emotional win in Mexico locks him into NASCAR playoffs
Shane Van Gisbergen once again mastered a new track — this one the famous Mexico City road course — to win NASCAR's first Cup Series points-paying race outside the United States of the modern era. The New Zealander led 60 of 100 laps Monday at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to earn his first Cup victory since he won his NASCAR debut at the inaugural 2023 street course race in Chicago. That victory changed his career trajectory, and Van Gisbergen left the Australian V8 Supercars, where he was a multiple champion, for a full-time move to NASCAR. Although he had success in the Xfinity Series — he won three races last year as Trackhouse Racing developed him for a Cup Series ride — Van Gisbergen has struggled this year at NASCAR's top level. He started the race ranked 33rd in the Cup standings with only one top-10 finish through the first 15 races of the season. But his victory in Mexico City earned him an automatic berth into NASCAR's playoffs with a shot to race for the Cup Series championship. Van Gisbergen benefited from an early pop-up rain shower on the first lap of the race because he's an exceptionally skilled driver on a wet surface. His win at Chicago was in monsoon-like conditions. ADVERTISEMENT The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including a push to lift our superannuation age, rising Middle East tensions, and Auckland's amateur footballers face off against global giants. (Source: 1News) He won the pole in Mexico City and started the race as the BetMGM betting favourite, particularly since rain was in the forecast. He had to contend with several challengers, Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing among them, but took the lead for good with 31 laps remaining. Trackhouse now has two of its drivers — Ross Chastain and Van Gisbergen — locked into the playoffs. But it was a bit of a disappointment for Daniel Suarez, the Monterrey native who thrilled the hometown crowd with a win in the Xfinity Series race on Sunday, as he failed to challenge his teammate for the win and finished 19th. Suarez, who appeared to be blinking back tears as he sang along with the Mexican national anthem in pre-race ceremonies, desperately wanted the home win in this contract year with Trackhouse. He was the face of this event as NASCAR ventured outside the US with its top series for the first time since 1958. Bell finished second in a Toyota for JGR — 16.567 seconds behind the winner. He was followed by Chase Elliott in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Alex Bowman, who hurt his back in a crash last week at Michigan, withstood the pain for a fourth-place finish in his Hendrick Chevrolet. Michael McDowell of Spire Motorsports was fifth and followed by John Hunter Nemechek in a Toyota for Legacy Motor Club. Chase Briscoe of JGR was seventh and followed by Cole Custer for Haas Factory as the highest-finishing Ford driver. William Byron of Hendrick was ninth and Chris Buescher of RFK Racing rounded out the top 10. Chevrolets took five of the top-10 positions, including the victory.
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Harness racer Crystal Hackett bounces back from harrowing ordeal at Alexandra Park
Harness racer Crystal Hackett has emerged relatively unscathed, but now an internet sensation, after her heroics at Auckland's Alexandra Park over the weekend. Hackett had just guided debutant Buddy Guy to victory in race eight on the card on Friday, when the two-year-old spooked and bolted, tipping the driver from her sulky and dragging her along the ground for several seconds, until she could regain control. Footage of her ordeal took social media by storm, but Hackett assured Checkpoint both she and the horse were none the worse for wear - except for her badly grass-stained racing pants. "I was a bit stiff the next day," she said. "I had a few aches and pains, but you just get moving and they've gone away now. "Very lucky I'm young and bounce back quickly. "Buddy's fine, he came through it well. He wouldn't even know it happened, he's happy out in the paddock being a horse - he's good as gold." Hackett explained hanging onto the reins was part of her training to ensure the loose horse did not cause damage to himself or those around him. "With the sulky behind the horse, it's just another thing that the horse can get caught on, if they get loose," she said. "If he got loose and ran out the gate, the sulky could hook on the fence and get stuck, and he hurts himself. "It's mainly a safety precaution for the horse and it's easier to stop the horse, if you've still got hold of the reins." The incident occurred as they headed back to scale after their race victory and Buddy Guy caught sight of the clerk-of-the-course's horse. "I felt him have a look at that horse and duck sideways, and thought, 'Oh, this isn't good'," Hackett recalled. "The sulky kicked up and I thought, 'Oh, this really isn't good'. Crystal Hackett was dragged for several seconds by Buddy Guy, but emerged relatively unscathed. Photo: Trackside "The clerk-of-the-course usually catches the runaway horses, so I knew, if I let go, there was no way we would catch Buddy Guy. "I had to just keep hanging on, which is what we're taught to do at a young age - hang on as tight as you can for as long as you can, as long as no-one's going to get hurt." Hackett was no stranger to this predicament - she was also dragged during a race at Hawera in January. Miraculously, not only did she escape harm on this occasion, she went on to win the very next race with Maro Mackendon. "It ended up being quite a good night at the office." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
