Shane van Gisbergen's Portland win proves he's more than a one-hit wonder

Despite winning in his first NASCAR start last summer on the streets of Chicago, plenty of fans were still skeptical of Shane van Gisbergen's potential in NASCAR. After Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Portland, all skepticism has been tossed out the window. 

It should've been tossed out after SVG's aforementioned win in Chicago. It should've been tossed out after he followed up his Chicago run with a 10th-place finish on the Indy Road Course. It should've been tossed out after van Gisbergen came within two corners of winning the Xfinity Series race at COTA earlier in the year. 

Now, there can be no doubt. van Gisbergen put on a show for the ages at Portland International Raceway, treating fans to a legendary drive that saw the 35-year-old bounce back after a couple of rookie mistakes that would've likely been the death knell for some of his competitors. Instead, van Gisbergen drove back to the front with the aggression of a rookie and the acuity of a wily veteran. 

Not only did van Gisbergen have to overcome self-incurred mistakes, but he also had to hold off a hard-charging Justin Allgaier, who swept the stages at Portland before once again finding a heartbreaking way to lose a race. 

Speaking of losing in heartbreaking fashion, you'll find Sheldon Creed 13th on the results sheet. Despite running inside the top-five late, Creed was penalized for a restart violation late, and will still be seeking his first Xfinity Series win next Saturday at Sonoma. 

When the dust finally settled, van Gisbergen had once more stolen the show. Most expected him to be a contender on Saturday, but likely thought he was too inexperienced to pull off a win.