Weekend Motorsport Wrap-Up
Jul 1, 2024
Kiwis were busy in the United States this weekend as NASCAR Xfinity had one of it’s biggest races in Nashville and Formula E had a dramatic penultimate round in Portland.
Shane van Gisbergen finds success under the radar
NASCAR Xfinity took to the Superspeedway this weekend as the series headed to Nashville, Tennessee. Shane van Gisbergen has struggled to find form in Xfinity’s fastest form of racing, where cars are battling at speeds in excess of 300km/h for much of the race.
It was a tough qualifying for SVG who didn’t have the pace to contest the upper-mid pack, securing himself a P28 start for the race.
A relatively drama-free race ensued and SVG spent it quietly moving up the field, gaining positions through each stage of the race. By the time the final stage came around, the three-time Supercars champion had joined up with the main pack and put himself in a position to fight for a good result, crossing the line in P15.
NASCAR will be returning to the Chicago Street Circuit next weekend, where SVG is the reigning victor. He’ll be looking to replicate the heroics that set him on his current path in the States.
Formula E title battle intensifies after rollercoaster round
It was a frustrating weekend for the Kiwi Jaguar TCS Racing pairing of Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy, who leave Portland separated by just 12 points at the top of the championship standings.
It was hard to keep track of the amount of lead-changes that occurred during the first race of the weekend, but it was Cassidy who emerged out-front in the final stages of the race.
Cassidy’s victory was in the bag, until the penultimate lap when he took too much curb at Turn 11 and spun off the track, ultimately finishing in P19.
Evan’s should have inherited the victory after he crossed the line in first on-track after Cassidy’s spin, but a penalty applied to his race time after earlier contact with Jake Hughes dropped the Kiwi down to P8.
Cassidy’s misfortunes continued in to the second race of the weekend, finishing down the order in P13 for his second consecutive pointless race. Evans managed to salvage his weekend with a P3 finish, bringing him in to clear championship contention just 12-points behind Cassidy.