Jeff Gordon reflects on how to grow NASCAR’s popularity
Jeff Gordon discusses the popularity of NASCAR and how the sport can continue to grow.
Sports Seriously
- Shane van Gisbergen won his third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series road course race.
- The NASCAR In-Season Challenge bracket is down to four drivers: Ty Dillon, John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Reddick and Ty Gibbs.
- The Cup Series heads to Dover Motor Speedway next, marking a break from road courses until mid-August.
There is no doubt.
You know, if any existed before NASCAR headed to Sonoma Raceway.
With his victory in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on July 13, Shane van Gisbergen continued to solidify his title as the best road-course racer in the Cup Series. At this point, he’s vaulting up the all-time list.
Check out this note.
Van Gisbergen became the first driver since Jeff Gordon in 1998 and 1999 to claim three straight road races from the pole.
“I just have to thank these guys,” van Gisbergen said, acknowledging his No. 88 Trackhouse team. “It builds up all year. Got better and better. Now, we need to keep getting better on the ovals and start proving some people wrong.”
Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott followed him to the stripe and filled out the top three.
Let’s break it down.
1. SVG is Michael Jordan on road courses? Ask Chase Briscoe
Minutes after the race, Briscoe joined the TNT crew and offered this.
“I obviously never played basketball against Michael Jordan in his prime,” he said, “but I feel like that’s what it was probably like.”
Yes, SVG was that good Sunday.
He led 97 of the 110 laps. After securing a Stage 2 win, the second of the day for Trackhouse after teammate Ross Chastain grabbed Stage 1, van Gisbergen overcame a pair of cautions in the final 12 laps and held Briscoe at bay.
Final margin: 1.128 seconds.
The 36-year-old from New Zealand joined Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell as drivers with multiple victories this season. All four of those gentlemen have three.
SVG also triumphed in Chicago last week and Mexico City last month.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time in NASCAR,” he said. “Thanks everybody for making me feel so welcome. Hopefully, I’m here for a long time to come.”
2. NASCAR In-Season Challenge bracket update
The 32-driver bracket is down to four.
Ty Dillon will take on John Hunter Nemechek and Tyler Reddick will square off with Ty Gibbs in the semifinals of the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge next week.
Sonoma served as the third of five rounds. Here’s how it shook out:
- 32-seed Dillon (17th) beat 8-seed Alex Bowman (19th)
- 12-seed Nemechek (28th) beat 20-seed Erik Jones (29th)
- 23-seed Reddick (sixth) beat 15-seed Ryan Preece (12th)
- 6-seed Gibbs (seventh) beat 14-seed Zane Smith (38th)
3. NASCAR schedule: Cup Series exits road courses for now with Dover race
Here’s some good news for the rest of the Cup Series.
The drivers won’t hit another road course until mid-August. Van Gisbergen’s dominance of the last few weeks will be hard to sustain.
Next week, the circuit turns to the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway. The race is set for 2 p.m. on July 20. It will air on TNT.
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