SVG Proves He Can Win At COTA With O'Reilly Series Victory Over Hill

Shane van Gisbergen finally scores his first win at Circuit of the Americas in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race.

Mar. 3, 2026 at 3:55am

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Shane van Gisbergen, one of the greatest road course racers in NASCAR history, finally conquered his struggles at Circuit of the Americas by winning the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Focused Health 250 on Saturday. Van Gisbergen led a race-high 31 laps and held off Austin Hill in the closing laps to secure the victory.

Why it matters

Van Gisbergen has long been considered one of the best road course racers in NASCAR, but he had struggled to find success at COTA until this weekend. This win helps solidify his legacy and proves he can win at any track on the schedule, including one of the more challenging road courses.

The details

Van Gisbergen led the race-high 31 laps and set the Xfinity Fastest Lap with a time of 1 minute, 39.452 seconds on Lap 61. He was able to hold off Austin Hill, the series points leader, in the closing laps to secure the victory by 0.780 seconds. Sammy Smith finished third, followed by Jesse Love and Corey Day.

  • The race took place on Saturday, February 28, 2026.

The players

Shane van Gisbergen

A 36-year-old New Zealand native who is considered one of the greatest road course racers in NASCAR history.

Austin Hill

The current points leader in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series who finished second in the race.

Sammy Smith

The driver of the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet who finished third in the race.

Jesse Love

The defending NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion who finished fourth in the race.

Corey Day

A Hendrick Motorsports developmental driver who finished fifth in the race but was involved in a late incident with Connor Zilisch.

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What they’re saying

“I wondered what was going to happen on that last restart, and I kind of sucked [Sam Mayer] in, and he took everyone out for me, so that was cool.”

— Shane van Gisbergen

“I mean, I just got beat up, man-to-man. He was just better than me over those five laps. I had a great restart. I could have done a little bit better by staying tight to the guy in front of me. Maybe that doesn't let him get down in front of me.”

— Austin Hill

“Yeah, he got right in front of me there, and as soon as he did, and you know, crossed over my nose, I lost the little bit of what I had left, or got in front of me where his air was on me. So, yeah, I'm going to get no sympathy for that on my track record. But yeah, wasn't intentional. Didn't want to wreck him or have that happen.”

— Corey Day

“Yeah, I mean, I think everybody saw what happened. I don't need to explain myself. But really unfortunate. Our Roto-Rooter Chevrolet was really fast. We had to change the left rear brake, and the entire caliper, and I hate that it ended like that for us. We were going to finish top-five there, and same guy every week that does this. Hopefully, he can figure it out.”

— Connor Zilisch

What’s next

The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series will next race at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, March 7, 2026.

The takeaway

Shane van Gisbergen's victory at Circuit of the Americas proves he can win at any track, including one of the most challenging road courses on the NASCAR schedule. This win solidifies his legacy as one of the greatest road course racers in the sport's history.