The Chicago Street Race has rapidly become a standout event, capturing the attention and excitement of both NASCAR fans and drivers. The challenging turns, the lovely urban scenery, and the unpredictable weather—everything challenges the drivers, and that in turn makes for an edge-of-the-seat racing experience that fans just love to watch. 

Last year was when the track opened its doors, a record was made and a driver in his debut took the race win! Was it unexpected? Yes! It was a fairytale win for Shane Van Gisbergen. That race got him attention and has since then catapulted his success.

Right now he is busy at Xfinity races, but the day he races Cup again might not be that far off. Before that, it’s crucial to know he is no rookie. Shane van Gisbergen is a three-time champion at Supercars who also proved his mettle on NASCAR’s first street circuit while racing the biggest names in the sport. Seeing this, Brad Keselowski, as a team owner, is proud of him. In fact, he recently made some bold remarks about the Kiwi in an interview. 

Brad Keselowski declares Shane van Gisbergen as the clear favorite

Brad Keselowski isn’t someone to shy away from expressing his thoughts, and his latest comments on SVG are no exception. In the recent interview, when he was asked about SVG and the upcoming race in Chicago, he didn’t mince his words. He said, “He easily enters the race as the favorite.”

The 35-year-old has proven his mettle, not only in Chicago but also on road courses time and again. To cement this, he won back-to-back at Portland and then at the Sonoma track. He surely has a knack with street race courses and even Brad Keselowski agrees.

Talking to Fronstretch, Brad Keselowski said,“I mean he’s an excellent race car driver. You know his ability on street courses is really really strong. He’s got a lot of experience at that type of racing. More than the field does by a long bit. So his ability to adapt to it in different cars and different track conditions is really high. I would say he easily enters the race as the favorite.”

At the street race courses, he remains one who seems unchallenged on the top. With Chicago coming right up, only time can say if Shane van Gisbergen can stand tall on the pedestal he created. But Shane van Gisbergen’s races in the ovals haven’t been going the best. He recently quoted it as “very, very, very difficult.”

SVG struggling to find his footing in the ovals

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The Kaulig Racing driver currently seems to be on a mission to create the most exciting racing resume ever. After his fairytale win at the Windy City, he decided to race in NASCAR full-time. And so far, he has performed pretty decently. But is important to note that his best hunting grounds have been road courses and not ovals. 

He has always been open about his struggles with the ovals, but is also optimistic about reaching a level of comfort someday. He said, “The ovals are very, very, very difficult. But I feel like I’m getting better and better, finishing the races with straight cars and starting to get more and more competitive. Road courses are (my) strength, but I don’t know if ovals are a weakness.”

He may be no rookie to racing, but to the ovals, he still is just figuring it out. Right now he will be going as a reigning champion to the Chicago street race. And given his career trajectory, he might soon find himself to be a permanent part of the NASCAR Cup Series. It will be fun to see him get used to ovals, while casually giving big Cup names like Tyler Reddick and A. J. Allmendinger a run for their money on road courses.