Dale Earnhardt Jr Impressed With Shane Van Gisbergen’s Performance in the “Oval Crash Course”

The prospect of Shane van Gisbergen coming to NASCAR as a full-time driver has everyone on the edge of their seats. The New Zealand native has been vocal about his desire to make a switch, and if rumors are to be believed, replacements for him are already being lined up in Australia. Preparing himself for the big switch, Gisbergen decided to make his NASCAR debut at an oval track on Friday, and he had a lot to show for it, according to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Junior believes that making the transition to the best competition NASCAR has to offer has its own challenges, but Gisbergen, on the other hand, is quite the accomplished driver and has loads of experience and composure up his sleeve.

“He’s got to learn O racing”: Dale Earnhardt Jr praises SVG’s oval debut in Indianapolis

Gisbergen had the most rewarding debut a driver can hope for. Winning the Chicago Street Race on a historic afternoon, the three-time Supercars champion showed the world his acumen as a driver and his strength on a road course. Although his debut on an oval track in the Truck Series at the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park was not remotely similar, Dale Earnhardt Jr explains that staying calm and collected in the approach is the first step of making it big in the Cup Series.

Speaking about newcomers and their haste in decision-making, he says, “They wanna go out there and just shock the world. You know, if you’re a rookie or a young talent out there on the track like that, they want to surprise everybody. They want the top 10, top 5, and they end up getting themselves in a lot of trouble trying to do too much.”

Talking about SVG’s prior experience that helps him to understand the course of events and in taking things steadily as they come, the two-time Xfinity champion adds, “Obviously, with his age and experience, he’s smart enough not to do that. But you can find yourself in some weird situations trying to get underneath people and getting raced hard in the truck series is a common thing.” 

SVG finished 19th in the Niece Motorsports’ #41 Silverado, which can be classified as a pretty decent debut for someone with no former experience at oval tracks. The banking and angles of an oval track can affect the outcome of a race in major ways and it also ensures close-quarter racing for the grid, making it even tougher. Junior notices that Gisbergen managed to avoid wrecking any of his fellow racers and maintained a steady pace for the whole duration of the race which is commendable for him.

“Incredible that he tore nothing up, he ran the whole race, then he didn’t make any big, massive mistakes. And he didn’t ruin anyone else’s race. That’s a great first step I think toward his oval crash course if you will and trying to figure this out. His goal is to be a four-time Cup Series racer in the shortest period of time possible. And so, he’s got to learn O racing in really an unprecedented amount of time,” says Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Soo after, Gisbergen took to the asphalt again on Sunday as he ran the #91 Trackhouse Racing Chevy and landed a top-10 finish continuing his dream run in stock car racing’s premier competition.

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SVG says he looks forward to coming back to NASCAR

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Gisbergen wasn’t the only driver to join the grid from Australia. Fellow Supercars driver Brodie Kostecki also accompanied him at one of NASCAR’s most iconic venues. The top-10 finish on Sunday had the SVG elated to the brim as he expressed the same in a post-race interview.

“It’s been an amazing week, I can’t thank [team owner] Justin Marks and the Trackhouse team enough for giving me this opportunity. I learned a lot in the truck on Friday night and then just to come here and race again,” said Gisbergen, showing his gratitude towards Justin Marks, whose vision of Project 91 has been crucial in luring SVG to NASCAR.

Although SVG will return to Australia for his commitments to Triple Eight Racing, he has not backed down from voicing his qualms about the current situation in the Supercars championship. The exuberance is visible as he then talks about another great finish.

“Although top 10’s awesome, your expectations are high because of the last race, so I just have to realize that a top 10 is still pretty good. I’m working hard, but here, it’s so much fun, I’m having a blast. The fans here are awesome towards me and all the people too. I’m enjoying it, really look forward to coming here.”

Looks like Gisbergen has found his perfect destination and is pretty determined to leave a mark on the NASCAR industry.

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