WITH snow packed trackside and sleet falling from the sky, Shane van Gisbergen put in the oval track performance of his NASCAR Cup Series career, leading the season-opening Clash before being spun down the order.
Working his way from the rear of the field early, the heavens opened at the halfway break, with SVG coming alive on the restart, carving his way to the lead.
Fading as the track dried, the three-time Supercars champion was turned around late in the running from the lead pack.
Ultiumately he was classified 20th.
“It was a good bit of fun,” said van Gisbergen.
“There were moments of brilliance and moments that weren’t.
“It was cool to get to the front – we were just trying to search for the grip.
“The wet weather conditions were very different than what I’ve raced in Supercars, just with the way the corners are and the way the rubber lays down.
“Then it started to come back up again and dry up. It was pretty wild.
“But all-in-all, happy with our run and it’s a good way to start the season.”
From 17th position at the initial start, van Gisbergen dropped to 18th in the early running, and back to the tail of the field when the first debris caution waved on lap 41 of 200.
Making his way past new Trackhouse Racing teammate Connor Zilich and Austin Cindric on the restart, SVG found himself in 18th position after passing Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon, while Bubba Wallace spun, which brought on the second caution on lap 54.
After a prolonged stint sitting side by side with Alex Bowman, van Gisbergen settled in 16th before drifting back to 19th when he spun Austin Cindric to bring on the third caution.
At the halfway point, SVG was placed 15th, with sleet starting to fall on the circuit during the break, which saw the field return to the pits after a failed restart.
With wet tyres fitted as the precipitation continued, cars circled behind the pace car before track workers were called upon to clear standing water from the circuit.
A long-awaited restart didn’t last a lap, with multiple cars spinning within a lap of the green flag, as van Gisbergen picked off five places to sit tenth.
SVG then ran in eighth when the caution flashed on for the stricken car of Josh Berry on lap 120, while the seventh yellow came two laps later with a multi-car pileup.
A tangle between Chase Elliot and Ty Gibbs saw SVG pick his way through to fifth, which he held when the caution flashed on for a Denny Hamlin spin on lap 139.
Austin Dillon was next to bring out a yellow, with SVG placed third.
From the front row on the restart, van Gisbergen jumped past Carson Hocevar before another caution flashed on for Chase Elliot.
Ryan Preece jumped into the lead on the restart as another yellow slowed the field on lap 144, with SVG returning the favour on the next restart.
The Kiwi led from the next restart until Kyle Larson ran out of fuel with a quarter of the race remaining.
Preece slid through to the lead after the restart, with van Gisbergen drifting back to fourth when Elliot ran out of fuel on lap 164.
Van Gisbergen’s race unravelled on the next restart when he was turned from second position by Chase Briscoe, which sent him to the pits, ultimately being followed by the full field for a gulp of fuel.
From 18th at the restart, SVG was placed 19th when he dodged Carson Hocevar, who spun through the infield off the bumper of Bubba Wallace.
When the crashing was done, the race was won by Preece from William Byron and Ryan Blaney.
Earlier, Berry won the Last Chance Qualifying race from Cindric, who prevailed from fantastic battle with Corey LaJoie, who was substituting for the injured Brad Keselowski.
The next stop for the NASCAR Cup Series is the Daytona 500.
Qualifying is set to take place on the morning of Thursday, February 12th, Australian time, before the twin Duel races to determine the final grid on Friday morning.
The race is scheduled for a green flag at 6:30am AEDT on Monday, February 16th.
The Nissan Primera that took on the Aussie Super Touring Championship and Bathurst 1000
Filmed in 2018, a quick up close look at the history of NME 28, the Nissan Primera Super Tourer that came to Australia in 1997 and stayed for the following seasons to race in the BOC Gases Aussie Series.