Van Gisbergen beats Zilisch in final battle for Chicago

Shane van Gisbergen won The Loop 110 after an aggressive move on Connor Zilisch in Turn 1 with two laps to go at the Chicago Street Course.

The JR Motorsports driver sent his teammate into the outside wall in a race-defining move. Van Gisbergen crossed the finish line ahead of Zilisch to score his first 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, the fourth of his career.

The win came under challenging conditions for the #9 team. A faulty carburetor and cooling suit failure complicated his day on the 2.2-mile circuit. The three-time Australian Supercars champion required medical attention after the race due to heat exhaustion but was cleared without complications.

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Complicated Strategy and Comeback

Van Gisbergen started from pole position but a team decision put him out of sequence. While most pitted at the end of the first segment, the #9 stayed out until lap 26.

A caution for debris relegated him to 19th for the lap 29 restart. From there he began his charge forward, reaching seventh position by lap 36.

On lap 44, with Zilisch fuel-saving in the lead, van Gisbergen posted the race's fastest lap (90.947 seconds). Andre Castro's impact with the Turn 6 barriers brought out the sixth caution and set up the decisive restart.

Zilisch Analyzes Final Move

"I was ahead by a foot just before the braking zone," explained Zilisch. "I should have been more aggressive there. I just thought he'd race me a little cleaner. I need to be better and not let those things happen."

The 18-year-old driver, who started 35th after crashing in practice, clarified the move wasn't dirty but was aggressive. Mardy Lindley, Zilisch's crew chief, questioned the action: "I thought our teammate sent him pretty far outside. I believe that was the race difference."

Record for JR Motorsports

Van Gisbergen becomes the sixth different winner for JR Motorsports in 2025, a historic mark for any organization in a single Xfinity Series season.

"The car was a rocket," said van Gisbergen, who will also start first in Sunday's Cup race. "The strategy went wrong but worked out well. (Zilisch) is a great young driver, and that was the first time I really raced against him. I knew that was my opportunity and I took it. Amazing 1-2 for the team."

Sheldon Creed completed the podium. The #18 driver briefly led after the final restart but lost positions. "I need to improve on road courses. Those guys are really good, and when SVG caught me, I just let him go because he had much better pace."

Austin Hill finished fourth and remains second in points, 49 behind Justin Allgaier, who finished 23rd with brake issues. Nick Sanchez rounded out the top five.

Jesse Love, Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer, Austin Green and Brennan Poole completed positions six through ten. Van Gisbergen led 27 laps, Zilisch 11 and Creed nine.

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The series continues next Saturday at Sonoma Raceway.