In just his second Xfinity Series start and his fourth oval race, Shane van Gisbergen has finished third in a thrilling dash for the line at Atlantic Motor Speedway.
The Kiwi ran a tidy, trouble-free race and remained with the lead pack for the majority of proceedings, moving into third on the penultimate lap as the leaders ran out of fuel as the race entered overtime.
The lack of yellow flags made fuel saving a priority over the second half of the 163-lap outing, and several competitors ran dry over the final circuits, triggering a late caution and extending the race by two circuits.
Kaulig Racing made the bold decision to pit the #97 under caution for a splash of fuel, which proved to be a defining decision as those who stayed out failed to fire as the race went green.
The three-time Supercars champion steered clear of the slowing cars to trail Daytona winner Austin Hill and Chandler Smith to the line for the strong result.
Van Gisbergen had earlier begun the race on the inside lane from 13th and lost ground off the start, dropping to 18th over the early laps.
The pack quickly formed into single-file racing, with van Gisbergen slotting into 16th as the formation shuffled. A lead group of 13 pulled clear to put a gap on those behind, with the following four running together and gradually closing onto the tail of the breakaway group.
In doing so, the group, now 16 drivers, held an 8-second advantage over Jeb Burton, who ran 17th and a place behind van Gisbergen at the end of Lap 29.
Up front, pole-sitter Jesse Love set the pace over early proceedings at the front as an inside lane formed once again, approaching the end of the opening 40-lap stage.
Van Gisbergen remained high, and a good run pushed him into 12th as the single-file formation reformed from a lack of pace inside.
He moved to 11th as the field shuffled in the dash to the line, where he would finish the opening stage, one place outside of receiving bonus championship points.
With the caution out for the end of the stage, the entire field came into pit lane, with van Gisbergen returning to the track in 13th.
However, a second visit to his box was required three circuits later to adjust the left rear of the Kaulig Racing #97, relegating him down to 29th at the start of Stage 2.
He made a quick restart and moved to 22nd when a caution was required when JJ Yeley was spun out of the lead group.
The front 16 had begun a gap over the field once again before the interruption.
Van Gisbergen was one of several runners to box under the caution, taking extra fuel to save time on his next stop with the end of the second stage still 20 laps away.
Green flag running resumed on Lap 65, with Love retaining the lead from Justin Allgaier and Herbst, while Hill dropped to fifth and van Gisbergen 23rd.
A lead group again formed, but the congestion in the pack saw John Hunter-Nemechek pushed high into the Turn 4 wall, shaking up the order in a big way as the field slowed to avoid the damaged car.
Van Gisbergen was a significant benefactor of this, jumping to 17th, where he would finish Stage 2 amongst a group of five. Love went on to take his second stage win from Allgaier and Herbst.
The earlier stop under caution proved a smart move off the restart for the 83-lap run to the chequered flag, with van Gisbergen taking the green deep in the top ten and on the faster outside lane.
Allmendinger led Love off the restart while van Gisbergen ran as high as sixth.
A trailing car pushed up the inside of the Kiwi, running him offline, which saw him swallowed up and quickly tumble to 13th on Lap 93 but amongst the breakaway group of 16.
The lack of cautions made fuel saving crucial entering the final 50 laps, with the strategy in the field having banked on the for a straight run to the flag from the end of the second stage.
With 40 laps to run, van Gisbergen had moved up to 11th as lapped traffic joined in with the lead group of 15, while Love had quickly returned to the lead, and Allmendinger was run offline and spat to the back of the pack.
The pace fluctuated over the final laps, with concerns about fuel mileage remaining apparent throughout the field, and van Gisbergen entered the top ten as Herbst and Cole Custer were the first to run out and drop from the lead group.
A caution was required as several others from the second group suffered a similar fate. Stopped cars on track brought a caution, and a two-lap overtime was required, further complicating the saving measures.
The lead runners stayed out under caution while van Gisbergen and those around immediately boxed for a splash and dash.
The Kiwi emerged from pit lane in sixth ahead of the final run for the flag.
The leaders, including Love, failed to get away off the line, and van Gisbergen steered clear of the slower cars to fall into third, behind only Daytona winner Hill and Chandler Smith.
He would hold the position to cross the line third in his first outing at Atlanta and just his fourth oval race.
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