At face value, Shane Van Gisbergen will absolutely take an 11th place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 last weekend but it speaks volumes about his development on ovals that he left Charlotte Motor Speedway a little disappointed.
The race was his best overall on ovals since the three-time Supercars champion transitioned full-time to NASCAR in 2024. He averaged a seventh-place running position and even led 11 laps on Sunday.
Ultimately, he lost some track position on the final choose of the race, and had to settle for one spot outside the top-10 when the race was called short due to rain.
“It was a decent day,” said SVG during a press conference on Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway. “I was just frustrated in the moment because our finishing position was not as good as we deserved. We ran pretty decent all day.
“I just mocked up at the end, we had a bad pit stop, and maybe we could have done better at the strategy. But I’m proud of our day and how we ran. Everyone was stoked all week and we need to keep that going. Even when we fell out of the top 10 last week, we were able to get back in it, and it was pretty good racing.”
All told, and everyone around the 37-year-old Kiwi says this, it was always a matter of time that he would figure out high level oval race. His teammate, Ross Chastain argued that on Saturday as well.
“I mean, he just didn’t do a lot of it in the past, beyond some dirt track stuff, but no big concrete, steep-banked mile and a halfs,” Chastain said. “I think he’s learned. He’s a racer. He puts the tire to the limit. He’s finding that limit. Stephen (Doran, crew chief) is giving him the cars he needs and he pushes the gas.”
With that said, Van Gisbergen isn’t predicting this weekend at Lebanon to me his next breakout moment.
“Depends on the track,” he said about his optimism racing on ovals this season. “This one, not much. Concrete tracks are definitely my weakness at the moment, Bristol and Dover, I find very difficult, with how dynamic the track is and knowing how much grip there will be. I really hope we can practice today. That would be nice.
“Even if qualifying is rained out and we can have a longer practice, that would be nice. Yeah, these tracks are difficult and I need to keep working at them.”
Van Gisbergen’s wish was granted as qualifying was indeed rained out. As a result, two weeks in a row, Van Gisbergen will start near the front. On Sunday, he lines up 10th, where he says it is immediately easier to settle in compared to deeper in the field.
“I’ve noticed, the closer to the front you are, the better people race you as well,” he said. “That’s always nice because its a real dogfight in the mid-pack and the back. Having a break from that was nice. It shows the importance of qualifying and getting up front and making no mistakes and you can stay up there all day, it’s certainly a lot more enjoyable.”
And again, becoming a more well-rounded oval racer is inevitable for a driver with his resume.
“I think its always a matter of time and keep learning stuff,” Van Gisbergen said. “Like last week, I kept learning stuff throughout the race and learning the flow of the race.”
Next up: Concrete
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