Shane van Gisbergen has not ventured to the United States merely to compete on road courses; he could have continued his career in Supercars for that. Consequently, the reduction in road course events and a significant rule change in NASCAR do not faze him.
More crucially, NASCAR has reverted to the Chase for the Championship format this season. This change means that van Gisbergen, known as ‘SVG,’ can no longer simply secure a playoff spot through victories alone. Last year, he achieved five wins, all on road and street circuits during his inaugural full-time season, yet would have finished outside the top-20 in a traditional points format.
As the season progressed, van Gisbergen began to familiarize himself with oval tracks, ultimately landing in 12th place in the final playoff rankings. The purist racing spirit within him is not lamenting the return to the traditional playoff format.
“Not the real racer in me,” Van Gisbergen remarked during the Daytona 500 Media Day. “I think we can make it in on merit as well if we get everything right. I think it loses some excitement in some ways but as a racing championship, I think this is a better way to do it, yeah.”
The elimination of two road courses, namely the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, has raised questions. Van Gisbergen stated, “I didn’t join the series to do road courses. Obviously, it’s a bonus and yeah, I would love more road courses than less but it is what it is and thankfully we are getting better on the ovals, so that’s good.”
Last year marked the second time in his career that ‘SVG’ primarily raced on oval tracks, initially in the Xfinity Series and subsequently in the Cup Series. This transition required him to adjust to two vastly different types of vehicles.
Despite the challenges, van Gisbergen found moments of success on the ovals, including a notable performance at Richmond. He was also competitive at Kansas and New Hampshire during the fall, indicating his adaptation to the new racing environment.
“It’s still an evolving thing, you know, so I don’t feel like as much of a deer in headlights anymore, which is cool,” van Gisbergen expressed. “I sort of feel like I fit in more and can go with the rhythm of the race more over the weekends.”
“But I’m still learning a lot. I didn’t know where to start with the driving, the set-ups, the cars and the racing dynamic like how the surface changes. There are so many different things. It’s a completely different discipline to any other driving.”
When asked about his experiences on short tracks, he admitted, “No, I don’t think so.” He acknowledged that tracks like Bristol and Phoenix have posed significant challenges for him, and he is focusing on improving in those areas.
Ultimately, van Gisbergen is committed to ongoing improvement in his racing skills. “I’ve never really been a goal person,” he reflected. “Making the playoffs would be nice but I just need to keep getting better and keep learning, I guess.”
