After a rough start to his weekend in Mexico City, Shane van Gisbergen found race day to be smooth sailing by leading 60 of 100 laps to win the inaugural Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

But Van Gisbergen has a knack for shining in unfamiliar territory. In a gritty performance on the rain-slicked road course, he led 60 laps and pulled away late to win by over 16 seconds ahead of Christopher Bell — earning his second career Cup Series victory and clinching a spot in the NASCAR playoffs.

I tried to treat it like when I go to Asia, just drink bottled water and be careful in the shower and brush your teeth with bottled water, but I just went downhill,” Van Gisb