Three-time Supercars champion and two-time Bathurst 1000 winner Shane van Gisbergen isn’t getting ahead of himself as he prepares to make his debut NASCAR start in early July.
The 34-year-old New Zealander will jump into Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 entry for the second road-course event of the 2023 calendar, held on July 2 at the new Chicago Street Course – becoming the first New Zealander to compete in the Cup Series.
“I guess it’s hard to just jump in on one race, especially [since] they do more than one [road course event] a year, so they’re pretty sharp,” said van Gisbergen.
“I’ve obviously taken notice, the last couple of months, and tried to watch. They’re not billies, it’s not like there are only two or three good road course racers anymore. The top 10, 15 guys can drive and turn right now, so it’s going to be very difficult.”
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Van Gisbergen currently sits fourth in the 2023 Supercars standings.
Historically, NASCAR’s road course events would be populated by ‘road course ringers’ – drivers from other disciplines – in the thought that they would be more suited to the task than the traditional oval-specialist racers.
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In recent years, though, multiple drivers within NASCAR’s core talent pool have established themselves as road course specialists. These include former champions Chase Elliot, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr.
Van Gisbergen is expected to be strong not only because of his ongoing form in Supercars, but also because the Chicago Street Course will be a completely new circuit for the full field, eliminating a chunk of the traditional ‘home court advantage’ held by NASCAR’s regulars.
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The Kiwi’s Enhance Health Project 91 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
Speaking to Australian motorsport outlet V8Sleuth in a separate interview, van Gisbergen confirmed that he has tapped the last two Australasian racers to compete in NASCAR, Marcos Ambrose and Owen Kelly, for advice ahead of the much anticipated debut.
“If someone came into Supercars and thought they were going to run up the front and they were in a good car, like you don’t really want them to be there because you have got your championship to think about and also it’s your series,” van Gisbergen told the outlet.
“I know I’m in top equipment and all the potential is there for a result, so I have just got to come in and remember that those guys are racing for a championship and if they win the race that they get a spot in The Chase.
“So for me, I have got to come in and be respectful and be wary that those guys are racing for more and I’m just there for a one-off – but I really want to do well so I’ll come in and I’ll race hard, but I also want to get the respect of everyone first.”
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The yellow stripe on the rear bumper denotes van Gisbergen’s rookie status.
The NASCAR appearance follows strong performances across a whole host of different formulae for van Gisbergen, establishing himself as one of the most versatile drivers on the planet.
These drives include his NZ Grand Prix victory in 2021, winning the Battle of Jacks Ridge rallysprint several months prior, and earning a WRC2 podium at last year’s Repco Rally of New Zealand. More recently, he has been competing in speedway and in the NZ Rally Championship.
Van Gisbergen is the latest in a string of drivers from other categories to take part in the series. Former Formula 1 champions Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button, IMSA star Jordan Taylor, IndyCar’s Conor Daly, and rallying ace Travis Pastrana have all had a go in 2023.
Of those names, it’s Pastrana who notched up the best result, in the form of a popular 11th-place finish at the Daytona 500.
Whilst van Gisbergen will be the first New Zealander to compete at the NASCAR Cup level, he isn’t strictly speaking the first to race a NASCAR.
Van Gisbergen’s former Supercars co-driver Earl Bamber took part in the second-division Xfinity Series on the Daytona Roval in 2020, performing strongly until he crashed out.
Famed Australian Touring Car Championship winner Robbie Francevic once competed in ARCA. Motorcycling legend Graeme Crosby once attempted, unsuccessfully, to qualify for the Coke 600.
Perhaps the most notable Kiwi cameo at a NASCAR event belongs to ‘Gentleman Jim’ Richards. After winning the 1995–’96 Australian AUSCAR season, the Bathurst 1000 winner and ATCC champ was invited to take part in a one-off, non-points NASCAR exhibition race at Suzuka in Japan.
‘Richo’ managed to qualify his Pontiac on the front row of the grid, beating the likes of Dale Earnhardt Snr, Michael Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, and a host of other established NASCAR names. He ultimately finished the race sixth. A full replay of the race can be seen above.