​HAMPTON, Ga. — Just as a light shower had ended, Shane van Gisbergen stepped out of the NASCAR hauler after a 17-minute meeting with the sport’s officials and fellow driver Austin Hill. The session was convened in response to last Sunday’s Chicagoland race, where van Gisbergen appeared to intentionally collide with Hill by crashing into the bumper of Hill’s No. 33 Chevrolet and pushing him rear-first into the outside wall. Before exiting to the garage area, Hill retaliated by sideswiping van Gisbergen’s No. 97 Chevrolet under caution. No postrace penalties were issued to either driver; instead, NASCAR officials delivered a closed-door reprimand. Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar are also expected to be summoned to the hauler.
Van Gisbergen, who has claimed two Cup Series wins this season, did not stay for a reporters’ debrief. Asked about the meeting as he walked away, the New Zealand native offered, “Ah, it went. It was interesting.” Hill gave reporters a more substantial account. “Whatever. He didn’t want to make a comment?” Hill said, referencing van Gisbergen. “We talked about the incident and how to move forward, that’s all. NASCAR told us what we need to do going forward… We spoke. We had a conversation. We’re going to go race, and I’m looking forward to it.”
The Chicagoland clash marked the latest intense exchange between the two drivers, who have clashed repeatedly in both the Cup Series and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series over the past several years. After the Chicagoland race, van Gisbergen insisted he didn’t wreck Hill on purpose, saying he was simply trying to reach the bottom of the track for clean air before Hill cut in front of him. “I’ll talk to him, but he just grunts,” van Gisbergen remarked following that event, where he finished 25th.
Over the radio, Hill’s team owner, Richard Childress, speculated that the incident represented “payback for California,” referencing a street-course incident at Naval Base Coronado on June 21. There, a miscue by Hill had left van Gisbergen and his teammate Connor Zilisch with heavy damage; while challenging Zilisch for the lead after a restart, Hill apparently missed Turn 1, causing van Gisbergen to collide into Hill’s rear and send Hill into Zilisch, ending the day for all three Chevrolets in the garage.
The rivalry between Hill and van Gisbergen dates back further to March 2024, when the two tangled in an O’Reilly Series race at Circuit of the Americas, trading paint in a heated moment. Months later, as they duelled for the lead at Sonoma in an O’Reilly race after a restart, van Gisbergen sent Hill spinning and went on to win, with Hill flashing the middle finger as the winner drove away in a burnout. The duo’s animosity carried into Cup competition as well, including a notable wreck during a Cup race at Pocono earlier this season, underscoring the ongoing friction that has defined their head-to-head battles in multiple series.
As the teams prepare for upcoming races, the two drivers will continue to be watched closely, with NASCAR officials emphasizing the need for sportsmanship and adherence to the rules as both athletes press forward in a season that has already delivered dramatic, high-stakes drama on the track. The question remains how these long-running tensions will influence their on-track decisions in the races yet to come.