The NASCAR Cup Series race, Food City 500, at Bristol Motor Speedway took a chaotic turn in Stage 2 when Shane van Gisbergen was involved in a multi-car wreck. The Trackhouse Racing driver was working his way forward after a difficult qualifying, but lost control entering the corner and triggered the pileup.

The incident unfolded around lap 160, when SVG spun entering Turn 3 and slid up the track, collecting John Hunter Nemechek, Todd Gilliland, and Alex Bowman. The contact stacked up the four cars on Turn 4, prompting the fourth caution of the race. While Ty Dillon and Cody Ware were close, they avoided contact.

The damage varied across the cars involved. Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet took the worst of it, with visible damage across multiple sections, while SVG and JHN were forced into the pits for repairs. Gilliland was able to continue and kept himself in contention, well inside the top 15, despite the incident.

The Trackhouse Racing No. 97 entry, however, faced a much steeper recovery path. Reacting over the radio immediately after the crash, Shane van Gisbergen summed up the situation, saying:

“Car’s f***ed.”

Up to that point, the Food City 500 had been a gradual recovery drive for the New Zealander. After qualifying 33rd, Shane van Gisbergen went a lap down early in Stage 1 and largely held position before beginning to climb through the order. By the time of the incident, he had worked his way up to 30th and was closing in on the Lucky Dog position.

The progress reflected SVG’s continued adaptation to oval racing, though Bristol remains one of the tracks he has openly identified as a challenge. The aftermath of the wreck reshaped the running order and further complicated his race.

Alex Bowman was eventually forced to retire by lap 188 after returning from a four-week break, while Todd Gilliland remained competitive. Shane van Gisbergen, however, dropped multiple laps during repairs, with none of the Trackhouse entries running inside the top 20 as the race moved deeper into its second half.

NASCAR insider explains DVP rules after Shane van Gisbergen heads to garage

Following the crash, Shane van Gisbergen’s car required extensive repairs, including work on a broken control arm, forcing Trackhouse Racing to move the No. 97 Chevrolet to the garage under NASCAR’s Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP). The situation led to some confusion among fans about how the rule operates.

NASCAR insider Matt Weaver clarified the regulation after a fan questioned on X:

“I thought they did away with DVP”

Weaver replied:

“Officials will continue to maintain a seven-minute time limit (eight minutes for Atlanta Motor Speedway events) for repairs made on pit road. Any repairs exceeding the seven-minute limit must be made in the Cup Series garage, where no clock will be kept on repair work. Teams will be penalized if a car leaves its pit box to rejoin the race and the DVP clock expires before it reaches pit exit. Any vehicle unable to be driven to pit road because of crash damage or flat tires will be towed to the garage.”

Under current rules, teams are allowed seven minutes to complete repairs on pit road. If the damage exceeds what can be fixed in that timeframe, the car must be taken to the garage, where repairs can continue without a time limit. However, there is a key condition. If a car leaves pit road and fails to beat the DVP clock to pit exit, it is penalized.

In Shane van Gisbergen’s case, the severity of the damage meant garage work was unavoidable. After lengthy repairs, he was able to return to the race, albeit significantly off the pace and more than 160 laps down. John Hunter Nemechek also continued after repairs and was a place below SVG at 36th, 179 laps down.