Shane van Gisbergen is on top of the NASCAR world after his fourth win of the season this past weekend at Watkins Glen. While his performance at the Cup Series’ more traditional ovals leaves a bit to be desired, his road course racing abilities has him in contention for the 2025 title. It’s been a […]
Shane van Gisbergen is on top of the NASCAR world after his fourth win of the season this past weekend at Watkins Glen. While his performance at the Cup Series’ more traditional ovals leaves a bit to be desired, his road course racing abilities has him in contention for the 2025 title.
It’s been a stark improvement over his sporadic appearances in the Cup Series last season. During an appearance on the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download, SVG elaborated on the key differences in his preparation this year.
“I think, for me, it was great. From last year, we just built from the car that we had, and what I wanted from the car. We’re kind of building a notebook as well,” the New Zealander stated. “That’s kind of helping us to keep ahead, and keep developing.”
Evidently, running full-time as opposed to part-time has changed the game for SVG. It’s allowed him to grow within his No. 88 Chevrolet team, and Trackhouse Racing is reaping the benefits at the moment.
“Last year, I had a Trackhouse car, but it was sort of the base car and given to Kaulig to run. It would be a good car, but this year, when you’re with the same guys every week, and you’re driving the same car, I’ve just been able to build on the set up,” SVG added. “We’ve sort of been developing what we need from the car, and what I want. The guys have been able to give it to me, rather than doing one race and waiting a month or two for the next one. It’s just progression.
“I’m learning that from the ovals, what feeling I want from the car. But on a road course, I can tell them exactly what I want in the car, and they know how to give it to me. It’s really been a good help this year. I think we’ve gotten better as a car. The car has gotten a lot better, and that’s really helped.”
Moving forward, Shane van Gisbergen will have to continue to improve on the ovals if he’s going to be a threat in the Cup Series. However, if his career in NASCAR thus far tells us anything, it’s that you shouldn’t count him out.
He’ll have another shot at proving himself this Saturday at Richmond Raceway in Virginia. In the Xfinity Series last season, he finished P15 after starting P12 at the track.
Category: General Sports
