Shane van Gisbergen powered to a dominant 16.567-second victory at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, taking the checkered flag in the Viva Mexico 250 behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing.

With the victory, van Gisbergen punched his ticket to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, locking in his postseason berth in dominant fashion.

Van Gisbergen fended off a late push from Christopher Bell, who finished second, while Chase Elliot rounded out the podium in third.

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As the 2023 winner of the inaugural Chicago Street Course, van Gisbergen is the first driver since Marvin Porter to claim his first two NASCAR Cup Series victories at debut events. Porter accomplished the rare feat by winning the inaugural races at San Jose in 1957 and Marchbanks in 1960.

Fans erupted on social media to celebrate Van Gisbergen’s triumph, flooding timelines with praise for the New Zealander’s commanding performance south of the border.

Van Gisbergen’s commanding finish marked the most lopsided victory in a Cup Series race since November 2009 at Texas, where the winner crossed the line 25.686 seconds ahead. It also stands as the most dominant margin of victory on a road course since June 1979 at Riverside, when the gap reached a staggering 32.9 seconds.

On Sunday, Ryan Preece captured the Stage 1 victory, collecting 10 points, while van Gisbergen surged ahead to take Stage 2 and match the haul with 10 points of his own. Van Gisbergen’s efforts didn’t stop there — with the race win, he racked up a total of 50 points on the day.

A slick, rain-soaked track forced a restart as drivers cautiously navigated the tricky conditions in Mexico City. After Ty Gibbs pitted on Lap 43, van Gisbergen stayed out and capitalized, cruising to a Stage 2 win.

Following a restart on Lap 50, van Gisbergen reclaimed the lead from Bell just two laps later and began to pull away. By Lap 60, the No. 88 Chevrolet had opened up a commanding 4.06-second gap over the field.

In a race that featured six cautions over 16 laps, eight different leaders and 14 lead changes, van Gisbergen proved untouchable in the latter stages. He led for 60 laps overall, with his fastest circuit clocking in at 93.824 seconds on Lap 30.

Heading into the race, Chevrolet’s William Byron remained atop the Cup Series standings — a perch he’s occupied for much of the season — holding a 41-point edge over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. The dynamic duo had pulled away from the rest of the field, with Denny Hamlin trailing in third, 82 points behind Larson.

The action picks back up next Sunday with the Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA.COM at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.