NASCAR Xfinity - Shane van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen looked set for a promising result in the second Xfinity Playoff race at Talladega until late contact forced the three-time race winner to retire from the race.

After running at the pointy end of the field for much of the race, including finishing Stage 2 in fourth, SVG was taken out on lap 76 of 94 and had to be towed back to the pits.

This DNF has relegated the Kiwi into the Playoffs drop-zone, with one race to climb back into the promoting positions. The next Xfinity outing is on the Charlotte Road Course where the Supercars champion will be expecting a strong weekend.

NASCAR Cup - Shane van Gisbergen

Having previously struggled for pace at Superspeedways, SVG put on a strong showing in his Cup appearance at Talladega, but ultimately would be against the Kiwi.

SVG ran at the front of the pack for much of the race, moving up and down the top 10, finishing the second stage in fourth and running as high as second at points.

Unfortunately, van Gisbergen dropped back in the final stage and was unable to get back into the top 10. Keeping his nose clean through a big wreck in the final few laps gave SVG a chance to regain a few positions, coming across the line in P15.

New Zealand Rally Championship - Ben Hunt

Ben Hunt fought back from a tyre failure to take a podium at Rally Bay of Plenty.

After a strong start to the rally, Hunt suffered a major setback when a tyre was torn from its rim on the Manawahe stage.

The Skoda New Zealand driver managed to bring the car back for an impressive repair job, including plugging a whole in the body work with a pizza box.

Hunt was right back on the pace, making up for lost time, and managed to secure a third-place podium finish for the rally.

This is a crucial result that allows Hunt to maintain his championship lead, 12 points clear of main rival Hayden Paddon as they enter the final round.

Intercontinental GT Challenge - Brendon Leitch

It was a tough weekend for Brendon Leitch at the 8 Hours of Indianapolis whose Earl Bamber Motorsport entry just couldn’t find the pace in their 911 GT3.R to contest at the front in qualifying, starting the race from P18.

The #61 car proved to have mucb better race-pace and climbed through the field over the first 6 hours. In the final 90 minutes, the Porsche was fighting as high as fifth before contact with another car forced them to retire.

Regardless of the early end to their race, the team still secured second in the Intercontinental GT Challenge Independent Cup.