Van Gisbergen taken out in Daytona 'Big One'
- 44 minutes ago
- 1 min read
'The Big One' has denied New Zealand driver Shane van Gisbergen the chance to compete for the Daytona 500 title.
Van Gisbergen was running in the top-10 when he was collected in a 20-car wreck on lap 124 during Nascar's season-opener, 'The Great American Race' at Daytona Beach on Sunday (Monday NZ Time).
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Leader Justin Allgaier and Denny Hamlin got together into the wall with seven laps remaining in the second stage, setting off the race's biggest wreck and leaving van Gisbergen nowhere to go in the ensuing pile-up.
Van Gisbergen, who won five Nascar races last season - all on street or road circuits, continued on in the race, credited with finishing 30th.
The former Supercars champion ran in the top-10 for most of the 60-lap first stage and led the race for three laps, before dropping back to 23rd after his first pit-stop. He finished 17th in the second stage.
The Nascar Cup Series heads to EchoPark Speedway next weekend for a 400-miler on Sunday (9am Monday NZT). Van Gisbergen finished 23rd and 24th in the two races at Atlanta last season.