The crash between Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill at Chicagoland Speedway is still the biggest debate in NASCAR this week. Trackhouse Racing’s van Gisbergen says he just made a mistake. Meanwhile, Richard Childress Racing says it was payback on purpose. Now, while opinions are still divided in the garage and among spectators, NASCAR’s SMT data has given the dispute a whole new dimension that may make it much more difficult to justify the contact.

SMT data paints a different picture of the Chicagoland collision

The drama started on Lap 47 of the Eero 400. Van Gisbergen drove deep into Turn 3, right behind Hill’s No. 33 Chevrolet. He hit the back of Hill’s car. This spun Hill hard into the outside wall and ended his race. Richard Childress did not take long to accuse the Trackhouse Racing driver of deliberate retribution, claiming it was revenge for their earlier encounters at Pocono and San Diego. Post-race analysis, however, revealed that the event could not have been as straightforward.

Shane van Gisbergen went far further into the turn than he had on any similar lap during the race, according to analyst Steve Letarte, who cited the throttle and brake traces using NASCAR’s SMT telemetry. The maneuver quickly stood out since the data revealed a clear departure from his typical braking pattern.

Former NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray looked at the data. He agreed that the driving mistake was hard to defend.

“We tell everybody, but as you look at that, it’s almost undeniable,” McMurray said. “Obviously, he can. But when you see how much deeper he drove in, and if you didn’t, you know all you gotta do is go back and look at 50 other laps. They’re all lifting pretty close, right? There’s some tire wear. You lift a little bit earlier, but lap to lap, you just typically don’t see that much difference. And then when you have the onboard footage to go with it, it’s hard. It’s hard to argue, Steve.”

Letarte showed that van Gisbergen drove much deeper into the corner on that specific lap than he had all race. Elite drivers usually hit the brakes at the exact same spot every single lap. The data proved van Gisbergen completely missed his normal braking zone. But it doesn’t entirely dissuade those who think the two drivers’ previous history was a factor.

Even though the data showed van Gisbergen caused the crash, fans online did not feel bad for Austin Hill. Instead, they quickly turned their anger toward him.

Fans turn their fire on Austin Hill instead

Many pointed to Hill’s own history of aggressive driving. His habit of moving other drivers out of the way is exactly like his famous 2025 Indianapolis crash with Aric Almirola. In that race, Hill intentionally hooked Almirola into the outside wall and was suspended.

One fan summed up the prevailing sentiment bluntly:

“Hill is a crybaby. He thinks it’s ok to wreck other people but complains when he gets wrecked.”

That opinion wasn’t isolated. Hill has built a reputation for moving competitors out of the way when battling for position, and many fans felt Sunday’s incident was simply another chapter in a rivalry he helped create.

Others argued that the optics of the feud overwhelmingly favor Shane van Gisbergen because of the audience he brings to NASCAR.

“Big picture is that SVG brings eyes to the sport, worldwide viewers from the V8 super car world who tune in for him and him only. Austin Hill has about 30 fans and 200,000 other people who cannot wait for him to be back out of Cup full time.”

Another fan referenced the pair’s earlier run-ins this season.

“Not a fan of SVG, just hate Hill more. Hill had it coming, wrecked SVG at Pocono and in San Diego. Honestly, even if those didn’t happen, I would still say Hill had it coming.”

Several commenters also brought up Hill’s infamous Indianapolis incident from 2025, when he intentionally hooked Aric Almirola into the outside wall during an Xfinity Series (now O’Reilly Series) race. The move earned Hill a one-race suspension and a five-lap in-race penalty after Almirola suffered one of the hardest impacts of his career.

That history resurfaced immediately following Chicagoland.

“If Hill hadn’t tried to kill Almirola right rearing him somewhere without a SAFER barrier, people might care. As it is im glad and hope its not his last.”

Another fan added:

“Especially with his history. IE… Indy last year🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️”

Whether van Gisbergen made a mistake or took revenge, the fan reaction is very clear. Austin Hill’s past actions have made it very hard for fans to give him the benefit of the doubt.