CONCORD, N.C. — Since his triumphant Chicago debut, Shane van Gisbergen has been honing his skills in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, preparing for what he hopes will be a transition to the Cup Series on a full-time basis.
The three-time Australian Supercars champion burst onto the NASCAR scene nearly a year ago by winning the inaugural Chicago Street Race. He will look to defend his race win later on July 7 in the Grant Park 165 (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Van Gisbergen has been fully committed to learning an entirely new race craft — especially when it comes to oval racing. So far in his rookie Xfinity season, the No. 97 Kaulig Racing driver is holding his own with respectable top-20 finishes at some of the toughest ovals on the calendar.
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“Just the oval stuff is so different,” van Gisbergen said during his media availability on Tuesday at the NASCAR Productions Facility. “No matter where you are in the field, you’re always racing someone and never seem to be able to get your own air, like you’re always racing or lapping people or getting lapped. It’s crazy, but the racing is really good.
“It is good to go to a place kind of under the radar in Xfinity on the ovals, and just learn how it all works, and spend a year just studying and learning everything to be better next year. … Every time I go out, I feel more and more comfortable and more competitive.”
Road courses, however, have been second nature for the Kiwi driver. After his win last weekend at Portland, van Gisbergen earned a provisional playoff spot. He also had a strong showing in the fifth race of the year at Circuit of The Americas, crossing the finish line second, but a 30-second time penalty for short-cutting the course on the final lap relegated him to 27th.
Through 13 regular-season races, SVG has only scratched the surface of his potential as he is still learning and perfecting his skills behind the wheel of a stock car.
“I’m a conservative person by nature,” van Gisbergen said. “Always by Stage 3, I seem to be getting better and better and moving through the field. But that’s sort of been my goal. Just finish the races and always be on the lead lap with a straight car and the results have been getting progressively better and better. Now, in the second half of the year, and then especially when we go back to tracks I’ve been to, I’ll probably start taking a bit more risk.”
Van Gisbergen currently sits 14th in the driver standings, but as the season treks on, if his trajectory continues to trend upward in oval racing in the second half of the year, he could be in a position to pounce at the Xfinity Series championship.
“I think there’s the Roval in the first round. So that’s obviously an advantage for me. The second round, I think it’s tough, it would be awesome if I could keep progressing, and by then, I should be a lot more comfortable and willing to push more. I wasn’t too bad at Phoenix, either. So yeah, anything can happen and it’s just it’s awesome to be in it.”
This weekend the New Zealander faces another road course in Sonoma Raceway, where he will look to win back-to-back races Saturday (8 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).