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Shane van Gisbergen dominates, wins NASCAR O'Reilly race at COTA

johnby: John Jamison02/28/26johndjamison

The 3-time Supercars champion and NASCAR road course master strikes again. After a heated battle with phenom Connor Zilisch in Stage 1, Shane van Gisbergen made short work of the rest of the field and found the win at Circuit of the Americas in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race.

While SVG has shown pure dominance on roads in the NASCAR Cup Series, Zilisch is a road course ringer in his own right. The 19-year-old phenom came into Saturday having won 6 of his 8 road course starts in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The two drivers’ reputations preceded them in Austin, as they quickly gapped the rest of the field and effectively raced each other one-on-one early on.

If it weren’t for some unfortunate issues, namely a broken rear brake rotor, in Zilisch’s No. 1 JRM Chevy Camaro, Shane van Gisbergen may have gotten a run for his money in Texas today.

The early NOAPS duel between Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen is very likely a preview of what NASCAR fans can expect to see in the Cup race tomorrow. It marks the third race in Zilisch’s rookie Cup Series campaign. If his Trackhouse ride can avoid the mechanical issues that plagued him today, SVG will certainly have a competitive race on his hands. Of course, plenty of talented Cup drivers are seeking to disrupt Shane van Gisbergen’s road course supremacy. Chris Buescher, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Chase Elliott are all strong road course drivers with results to keep an eye on.