The NASCAR Cup Series is back on the ovals following two weeks of road and street courses, and it's also back to the same old Toyota dominance of the 2026 season. Chase Briscoe picked up the win in the eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, marking the 12th victory for the manufacturer in 19 races this year.
Shane van Gisbergen finished 25th following his triumph the previous weekend at Sonoma Raceway, as Trackhouse Racing returned to its usual uncompetitive status without his all-world road course talent being able to save them. The New Zealand native may not yet have won on an oval in NASCAR, but he has been the story all week.
On lap 48 of 267, van Gisbergen appeared to intentionally run into the back of Austin Hill, spinning him hard into the outside wall and ending his night. It's only the latest chapter of what has become one of NASCAR's most entertaining rivalries.
Austin Hill and Shane van Gisbergen's long-standing feud reaches a boiling point, and it might not be over
Hill is driving Richard Childress Racing's No. 33 car for the rest of 2026 after the tragic passing of Kyle Busch from sepsis in late May. He hasn't exactly been measuring up to the difficult occasion in the way of performance on the track, but his spotter Derek Kneeland sure provided a soundbite that would have made "Rowdy" proud.
Austin Hill got spun out by Shane van Gisbergen. They have some history together including two weeks ago at San Diego
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) July 6, 2026
SVG got called "Van Guggenheimer" on the 33 radio. Apparently it was Derek Kneeland who made that remark https://t.co/mMlBK11kwy pic.twitter.com/WIo4OnUjbl
We've heard van Gisbergen's name be mispronounced by NASCAR announcers as "Ginsenbergen", "Biggisbergen", "SVJ", and "Van Viz Venvizvbsr." Now he's apparently a corny supervillain from Phineas and Ferb.
And there was more. SVG fired back, making it known there is no love lost in a hostile relationship that has seen more than a few clashes over the years.
Shane van Gisbergen on the incident with Austin Hill.
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) July 6, 2026
"I was shooting for the bottom trying to get clean air, I was so tight, and he just chopped my nose and got in the wall. So, sorry about that. Sorry to his guys, they're always nice people, and it happens."
Was the contact…
Hill and van Gisbergen had past run-ins at Circuit of the Americas and Sonoma Raceway in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2024. More recently, the RCR driver caused an accident on Naval Base Coronado three weeks ago that took out SVG, likely costing him the win and potentially ultimately a Chase berth if he is unable to hang onto his spot in the top 16 over the final seven races of the regular season, all on ovals.
NASCAR did not issue any penalties to either driver but has sat them both down to discuss their behavior. It probably won't accomplish much, and if history has taught us anything when it comes to Hill, it's that he's not afraid to administer some payback.
Regardless, this feud has become a prime source of entertainment between two drivers who refuse to back down. And that's really all the people want to see.
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