For Shane van Gisbergen, only two points were the difference between advancement and elimination in the end. He admitted that "it certainly would have helped" to have pitted for fresh tires late in the race when most of the field did, but with multiple playoffs drivers near the front in a must-win situation, it was never going to be easy.
"We'll never know but we had a good crack. I thought more would stay out with us, but it is what is." An eighth-place finish to open the round and and a third-place to end the round was very solid, but unfortunately, he was very unlucky at Talladega. A wreck in the tri-oval left him with a 35th-place finish.
