In a Würth 400 that featured calamity at every corner, with a staggering 12 cautions making up 73 of what ended up at 271 laps following overtime, the 35-year-old Kiwi methodically moved forward and stayed out of trouble.
After starting 37th in the #88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro, van Gisbergen never fell off the lead lap throughout the contest and ended up 35th and 30th in Stage 1 and 2, respectively.
There was one close call, though. On Lap 220, he was on the outside of Jesse Love as the two were battling wheel-to-wheel through Turns 1 and 2 when the backend of Love’s #62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro snapped around and ended up at the inside wall.
The outing was van Gisbergen’s second-best finish on an oval this season, only three spots off his 20th-place effort at Darlington Raceway.
RESULTS: Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway
“A decent finish today for my SafetyCulture team,” reported the Kiwi. “Just wasn’t comfortable with the car there at the start and struggled to find speed.
“Thanks to my 88 crew for never giving up and continuing to work to make my Chevrolet better and better. We will learn from this and continue to make improvements.”
Team Penske’s Joey Logano surged late for the victory at Texas’ 1.5-mile D-shaped oval.
A restart with 10 laps to go had the #71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro of Michael McDowell leading Logano’s #22 Ford Mustang. The two sped off with Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain and Erik Jones not far behind.
With four laps to go in the scheduled distance of 267 laps, Logano inched closer before getting a strong run off Turn 2 and diving to the inside of McDowell.
The two continued to get lower as they fought for the bottom lane on the backstretch, with Logano able to pull enough momentum to commit with a herculean move entering Turn 3 and squeeze by McDowell to snatch the race lead.
McDowell lost momentum and fell behind Blaney’s #12 Team Penske Ford Mustang. Moments later, McDowell lost the air in Blaney’s wake off the exit of Turn 2 and crashed hard into the outside wall just a lap after losing the lead.
MCDOWELL INTO THE WALL!
The late-race drama continues! pic.twitter.com/TOcqSaXrah
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 4, 2025
That wreck set up overtime, but Logano was able to steadily handle the restart and pull away to victory over Chastain’s #1 Trackhouse Racing entry by 0.346 seconds.
It marks the 37th victory of Logano’s Cup career.
“I knew my only chance was getting a run in Turns 1 and 2,” Logano said, of his move on McDowell.
“The lap before I almost had it. I was like, ‘Okay, I’m just going to do the opposite.’ He went to the bottom again and I got into the centre, I knew, ‘Yup, this is it.’
“I didn’t want to be outside and definitely wanted the bottom. And we went all the way to the inside wall! I’m going to get there. He’s going to have to give me space eventually or we’re both going to wreck.
“There was a heck of a battle there.”
Blaney took third, ahead of Kyle Larson, who led a race-high 90 laps in the #5 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports. Jones ended up fifth in the #43 Legacy Motorsports Toyota Camry to round out the rest of the top five.
Austin Cindric won Stage 1, with Larson claiming the second stage.
After starting on pole, Carson Hocevar led a career-high 22 laps but was involved in a multi-car crash on Lap 238. He finished 24th for Spire Motorsports.
Other notable incidents included Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who suffered an early end to his day after his #11 Toyota Camry went up in flames after 71 laps while entering Turn 1.
“It was blowing up for about a lap or so before it really detonated,” Hamlin said of the incident.
A big mechanical problem on @dennyhamlin‘s No. 11 machine.
He climbed from the vehicle following the slide. pic.twitter.com/FYY5EUf0ZF
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 4, 2025
Josh Berry looked like an early contender for the win before crashing from the lead on Lap 125 while navigating the high line in Turn 4 with his #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang.
The NASCAR Cup Series moves on to Kansas Speedway on May 11.
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