“Had a blast”: Shane van Gisbergen expresses delight post battle with Kyle Larson at Chicago

Shane van Gisbergen has shared his contentment after triumphing in the enthralling battle on the streets of Chicago. The Kaulig Racing driver had a challenging fight with Kyle Larson but ultimately reigned supreme on the 2.2-mile circuit.

The polesitter, Gisbergen, and the second-place starting driver, Larson, had a nail-biting exchange for the first few laps of the Loop 110. The duo repeatedly gained and lost the lead, capitalizing on the turns to pass each other.

Before Shane van Gisbergen could finally etch the Stage 1 win, he had to emerge victorious from the cat-and-mouse battle with Kyle Larson as the Hendrick Motorsports driver wasn't letting his guard down. But after Larson's right tires locked up, the #97 Chevrolet passed for the lead in Turn 12 and later took the stage win.

The Kaulig Racing driver couldn't put a similar display in the second stage and plummeted to a tenth-place finish. However, van Gisbergen regained momentum and climbed the charts. On Lap 48, he gained the lead for the final time as he overtook Jesse Love and came home with his third Xfinity Series win this season.

During a post-race presser, Shane van Gisbergen outlined his run and expressed delight concerning his battle with the HMS driver.

"It was a pretty awesome race—the first stage racing with Kyle there. My car was really weak, I couldn't get going at the start, the restarts, and then take two or three laps, and he'd always pass me. Then my car would come on, I'd be attacking him. Just awesome, awesome fun racing with him," van Gisbergen said via SpeedFreaks on X.

"His car was a little better over the bumps and under braking and he was driving very well as well. But yeah, giving the thumbs up, he was waving back. Yeah, had a blast," the race winner added.

"I was having a blast"- Kyle Larson on racing against Shane van Gisbergen in Chicago

Kyle Larson marked his second Xfinity Series presence this year after his first at the Circuit of The Americas. He snuck his way to a win in COTA after pulling a double overtake against Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill on the final lap.

In Chicago, Larson started beside the Kaulig Racing driver and took the lead several times. However, after the tire mishap robbed the former of a potential stage win, the Lap 24 pitstop sent him further back in the field. The #17 driver pitted under caution along with a dozen drivers but restarted from 17th place. As a result, he could make up for an 11th-place finish in Stage 2.

But in the final stage, Kyle Larson rallied back into contention and rounded up a third-place finish behind Ty Gibbs. Post his run, the HMS driver weighed in on his desire to "win today" while commending his battle against Shane van Gisbergen.

“I was having a blast. Obviously, I wanted to win today but I wanted to learn more than anything. I wanted to get to battle with him because he’s just really good at creating shapes and angles and passing. That was an objective of mine and the first opportunity I got, I wanted to get racing because I just didn’t know if I’d have another opportunity to race with him," Larson said via NASCAR.

“My car seemed to be a little better than his for a lap or two which helped me get by him and was able to protect and stuff but he was so much better than me," the Californian added.

The duo will now be seen in the Cup Series Grant Park 165 race on the Chicago Street Course.