“He’s adapting to NASCAR well”: Denny Hamlin weighs in on Shane van Gisbergen’s Sonoma incident with Austin Hill

Denny Hamlin has praised Shane van Gisbergen's quick adaptation to NASCAR after the New Zealander raked in his second consecutive Xfinity Series win last week. The JGR driver detailed the final restart battle with Austin Hill and outlined the #97 Chevy driver's proficiency in the high-octane sport.

The Sonoma Raceway hosted the 14th NXS race on the calendar and saw van Gisbergen reign supreme for the second consecutive time. After sealing his maiden Xfinity win at the preceding Pacific Office Automation 147 at the Portland International Raceway, the Kaulig Racing driver again dominated the road course.

During the final restart on Lap 69, a tough battle for contention ensued between the #97 Chevy and Austin Hill's #21 car. As the duo entered the turn, with Sam Mayer taking up the remaining space, van Gisbergen was left with little to no room and was nearly sandwiched between Hill and Mayer. Nonetheless, the Kaulig Racing driver pulled off a risky move and pounced ahead of the #21 Chevy, nudging Hill's front right before taking the lead.

Denny Hamlin explained Shane van Gisbergen's debacle with Austin Hill, as he was quite impressed with how quickly the New Zealander has found his footing in NASCAR.

"He [van Gisbergen] wanted to stay beside Hill on that restart. But I think he made a bit of an ambitious move to it. I think he still had enough speed, and technique to get around Austin because the tires cooled back off. It's very easy to hit your marks when everything is hot, it's very difficult to hit your marks when it cools back down," Denny Hamlin said via Dirty Mo Media. (44.00)

He continued:

"I think that's where Shane really really excels. When everyone else is slipping and sliding around, trying to get heat in their tires and they're missing the marks, that's where he's gonna pounce."

"He sees the opportunity and he's run in NASCAR enough now. He's like, 'These guys just run into each other so I'm joining the party, I love this.'- I think he's adapting to NASCAR well," the JGR driver added. (4.45)

Denny Hamlin suggests Shane van Gisbergen "keep clean" after the latter's COTA payback admission

Shane van Gisbergen sidelined Austin Hill from the victory contenders and the Richard Childress Racing driver stooped from race leader to finishing fifth at Sonoma. After dethroning Hill, the #97 Chevy driver indicated the payback for his COTA run, which Denny Hamlin outlined during the podcast.

"I hate racing and thinking like that, but to me, we’ve both taken a race win off each other now,” van Gisbergen said via NASCAR.

During the final lap at the Circuit of The Americas, Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill went wide and Kyle Larson benefitted from their wreck and snatched the win from the New Zealander's grasp. Moreover, while Hill finished second, the Kaulig Racing driver was slapped with a 30-second penalty and settled at 27th place.

At Sonoma, the #97 Chevy driver pulled a similar move. Though not deliberately, he ultimately stole the lead and a potential win from Austin Hill. After van Gisbergen's admittance of the payback, Denny Hamlin suggested the Xfinity rookie to "keep clean" moving forward to avoid troubles with the RCR driver.

"I think that if the score is level, then I think, Shane probably needs to keep clean from here on now because he's certainly opening himself up to Austin. [He's] really going to knock him out of the way when he needs to for a future win or future position," the #11 Toyota driver said. (47.10)

After his Sonoma win, Shane van Gisbergen climbed four spots in the Xfinity rankings and is 10th now.