Shane van Gisbergen, a racer who’s won three Supercars championships, won the Xfinity Series race at Portland International Raceway. He passed Justin Allgaier with three laps left out of 75. Allgaier had led for most of the race but had a slow pit stop, letting van Gisbergen catch up. Van Gisbergen got into second place with 13 laps remaining. Then, a big crash happened near the end, leading to a restart. Van Gisbergen managed to beat Allgaier to the finish line, winning by a small margin.
This victory is van Gisbergen’s first in the series after 13 starts, and it guarantees him a spot in the playoffs for 2024. After winning, he did a long burnout and kicked a rugby ball into the crowd. He apologized for a mistake he made at the start of the race and praised the excitement of the competition.
Last July, van Gisbergen won his first Cup race at the Chicago Street Race, making him the first driver to do so in over 60 years. This victory encouraged him to join NASCAR full-time this season, racing for Kaulig Racing in both Xfinity and part-time in Cup.
Sammy Smith finished third, A.J. Allmendinger fourth, and Ed Jones fifth. The top 10 also included Cole Custer, Josh Williams, Parker Kligerman, Parker Retzlaff, and Riley Herbst.
In the earlier stages of the race, Allgaier won Stage 1, and Creed won Stage 2. Van Gisbergen faced some challenges but managed to secure a strong finish, eventually winning the race after a late restart caused by a big crash.
