“One of the best races all year”: Fans react as Shane van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson put on a show at Chicago

Kyle Larson and Shane van Gisbergen's adrenaline-packed battle on the streets of Chicago has prompted the NASCAR fanbase to chime in with their opinions. While the Kaulig Racing driver led the final moments of the Xfinity Series race, ultimately winning by a margin of 1.287 seconds, the opening laps were a slugfest for the lead between the #97 and #17 Chevrolets.

The Loop 110 marked the 18th contention on the NXS calendar and saw Shane van Gisbergen come home with his third Xfinity win this season. After setting the field with his fastest qualifying run, the New Zealander snapped the Stage 1 win and followed it with his 50-lap triumph.

However, a tough battle brewed between the Kaulig Racing driver and Kyle Larson in the opening laps. On the first lap, Larson took the lead in Turn 4, but van Gisbergen retook it in Turn 6. On the third lap, the Hendrick Motorsports driver regained domination. Nonetheless, after the #17 Chevy suffered a lock-up in the right tires, the Kaulig Racing driver lunged ahead and took the lead.

Here is the video of the duo fighting back and forth through the turns on the 2.2-mile street circuit (via NASCAR Xfinity on X).

The repeated snatching of the lead from the other put up an enthralling display for the fans and they quickly gave their two cents on the fight.

"This was one of the best races all Year btw," one fan commented.

"This is shaping up to be the greatest battle in Xfinity history," another fan opined.

"Great racing fr!" one fan concurred.

This fan was apparently out of words and shared a GIF to express the thrill savored by them.

"This is great stuff!" one fan wrote.

This fan also shared a GIF to outline their excitement level.

Shane van Gisbergen weighs in on his "great race" after sealing his second NASCAR win in Chicago

Being a 3x Supercars champion, Shane van Gisbergen had a good grip on road courses which became evident in his debut race. The New Zealander stepped into NASCAR last year in the inaugural Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course, where he sealed a Cup win on his first attempt.

He secured his first win of the season at Portland International Raceway, followed by another at Sonoma Raceway, and most recently at the Chicago Street Course. It's worth mentioning that all of van Gisbergen's NASCAR wins have come from road courses.

The Kaulig Racing driver had a close battle with Kyle Larson during the initial laps but finally etched his second win in Chicago. Post his exhilarating run, Shane van Gisbergen outlined his "great race."

“That’s awesome, what a great race. It was pretty wild there at the end, but I can’t thank the Kaulig Racing guys enough. It was great racing to start with Kyle [Larson]. He was really good on the restarts and we made our car better with the second set of tires, but whooo, that was fun at the end passing all those guys. Had some great racing with everyone," he said via NASCAR.

Shane van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson will have another faceoff in Chicago during the Cup race and it will be interesting to see how the duo will play it out in the Grant Park 165.