Shane van Gisbergen’s recent win in Mexico City may have earned him a lot of praise, but it also sparked an unexpected online quarrel. One strong opinion about van Gisbergen’s recent NASCAR win stirred the pot a bit, but a respected voice stepped in, as he was not having any of it.
Veteran NASCAR crew chief Rodney Childers came to the defence of van Gisbergen after a fan tried to discredit the Kiwi’s dominant win at NASCAR’s inaugural Cup Series race in Mexico. And his response was very simple and straight to the point.
Shane van Gisbergen Dominates NASCAR’s First International Race
NASCAR’s Cup Series headed to Mexico City for the first time in over 50 years, and the AutĂłdromo Hermanos RodrĂguez was filled with excitement. The weather wasn’t the best with rain during the race’s early stages, but that didn’t dull the vibe at all.
And right in the middle of it all was van Gisbergen. A three-time Australian Supercars champion, he’s not an average NASCAR driver. Ever since he jumped into NASCAR full-time, he’s been turning heads in road course races.
While driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing, van Gisbergen grabbed pole position, led 60 out of the 100 laps, and crossed the finish line around 17 seconds ahead of Christopher Bell at Mexico. That’s the biggest win margin in the Cup Series since Kurt Busch’s Texas win in 2009. Chase Elliott finished in third place, but neither he nor Bell had much of an answer to van Gisbergen’s dominant race pace.
What made the performance even more impressive was everything van Gisbergen had to fight through to get the win. He was sick the morning of the race, his travel to Mexico was delayed, and the weather added to the difficulty level. Despite all of that, he made the final stages look very easy. With that win, van Gisbergen has now qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs.
Rodney Childers Claps Back at van Gisbergen Criticism
After the dominant win at Mexico City, praise started pouring in for van Gisbergen, especially from people inside the garage who understand what it takes to win. Childers was one of them. On social media, he gave a shout-out not just to the Auckland native but also to the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing team, several of whom used to work with him.
Absolute clinic by @shanevg97 and the 88 group today.. So proud of Steve, Foz, Taco, Greco and those guys.. 👊🏼 https://t.co/EVkTuXu0sk
— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) June 15, 2025
But then came a fan with a hot take, trying to downplay the win. The fan wrote, “ You cheering on what’s killing the sport? Makes me see why you got fired by spire. You are just content.”
That’s when Childers responded sharply with a simple reply: “No, but half of that 88 team used to work for me for years.. and I’m extremely happy for them. Sorry you can’t accept that..”
No, but half of that 88 team used to work for me for years.. and I’m extremely happy for them. Sorry you can’t accept that.. https://t.co/m0EM7sAkpk
— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) June 15, 2025
Childers has won over 40 Cup races and was the crew chief behind Kevin Harvick’s 2014 championship. He recently parted ways with Spire Motorsports but still commands a ton of respect across the garage.
His comment wasn’t some emotional rant either. It was just a veteran who knows racing inside out, commending a driver and a team who clearly did a fantastic job on the racetrack. Childers was just making sure that credit is given where it’s due.
