SVG survives awkward skirmish to snag Sprintcar trophy

Competing in the United Truck Parts-backed Sprintcar, the #97A pilot started fourth in Heat 2 and came up short of the win after a bold pass on the high line for the lead.

Running the high line, van Gisbergen went to the outside of the #16A of Ryan Barry on the final lap.

As they approached the chequered flag, Barry squeezed van Gisbergen against the wall and the pair made contact.

Barry was classified first initially but was penalised for the incident and relegated to third as a result.

“Heat 2, start first, finished first, and relegated to third after deemed to have purposely made contact with the #97 after the finish line, which is 100 percent incorrect,” Barry wrote on social media.

“I respect Shane a hell of a lot and every driver I race with too much to ever purposely make contact.”

Barry and van Gisbergen parked up in Turn 1 and were duly recovered. Barry suffered a right rear puncture while van Gisbergen suffered significantly more damage after he hit the wall.

That forced his team – with the help of rival outfits – to fix his wounded car in fast fashion to get the car out for the next heat.

In Heat 3, van Gisbergen started seventh and raced his way forward to finish third behind Jonathan Allard and Michael Pickens.

The Kiwi qualified second for the feature and ran there for most of the contest before claiming third behind Allard and Pickens.

Van Gisbergen will have a short break before returning to Western Springs Speedway for the Boxing Day races on December 26.