“He’s Pretty Old” – Shane Van Gisbergen Takes a Friendly Jab at Dale Earnhardt Jr. After the Veteran’s Final Bristol Appearance

Shane van Gisbergen had a pretty special experience racing at the Bristol Motor Speedway under the lights during the Xfinity Series race. Having secured his spot in the playoffs, the Kiwi speedster wasn’t in a must-win scenario during the regular season finale event. Rather, he took this as a learning curve and also shared the stage with Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was running in his last Xfinity Series race.

Dale Jr. ran into one issue after another with his radio and the helmet. However, despite the challenges, the 49-year-old was able to notch a P7 finish. Not too shabby for a driver who didn’t race all year long competing against talented youngsters. While all the fuss was about his issues with the radio and the helmet, Jr.’s post-race antics with SVG caught everyone’s attention.

Shane van Gisbergen and Dale Jr. were toying with each other on the cool-down lap

SVG was fresh from his top 5 finish at Watkins Glen, and with the playoffs qualification in the bag, he was looking to improve on ovals. His last two races on the short tracks like Martinsville and Richmond ended with a top 15 finish. However, he could only muster up a P18 finish in his first race at the Last Great Colosseum.

On the flip side, his interaction with Dale Jr. certainly made his day. The two drivers were seen bumping into each other on the cool-down lap. It was all in good fun, and SVG had his fan-boy moment after the two got out of their race cars. When asked about the interaction with Dale Jr., SVG couldn’t help but joke about Jr.’s age.

“Oh, just help him out of the car. He’s pretty old, you know so. I mean, we had a pretty fun race at the start and let him go. And then on the cool-down lap, he’s smashing into me. So yeah, a lot of fun, cool to share the track with him and just race here, really cool place.” Shane van Gisbergen shared this with Dirty Mo Media.

Meanwhile, Dale Jr. also revealed the details about the chat the two had on the pit road. “I went to Australia 20 years ago, met some great people there. Marcus Ambrose took care of us, and Paul Morris. Since SVG’s here, Paul Morris has been texting me all kinds of stuff about him. We just love it when those guys come over and race with us. I’ve never been to New Zealand, and I said to him, If I come to New Zealand, man, I’m coming to stay with you.” The veteran driver said this in the post-race interview.

Now that the regular season is done and dusted, all focus shifts to the playoffs. So far, Shane van Gisbergen has been able to handle everything that’s thrown at him. But how far can he go into the knockout stages?

Making it out of the first round shouldn’t be an issue for SVG

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It’s just insane to think that the Kiwi speedster is a rookie driver who has elevated his stature in just a short time frame. The #97 Chevy has been to victory lane three times already this season, and all of those wins came at the road courses. SVG went back-to-back at Portland and Sonoma while recreating winning memories at the Chicago Street Race. It’s fair to say, that he is probably the best road racer in NASCAR at the moment. And this just might be his ticket to clear the first playoff obstacle.

The Round of 12 race includes a road course venue, the Charlotte Roval, and this might be the ticket for SVG to advance further in the playoffs. Moreover, thanks to these three wins, he has the backing of playoff points that could act as a buffer for him. For now, he is 10 points above the cutline, heading into the race at Kansas Speedway.

However, if the Cup Series playoffs have taught us anything, it’s that even the big names can draw blanks. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson, who were touted to be in clear for the championship, are now looking to convert the race at Bristol. So, SVG will have to be on his toes, given how deep the field of playoff drivers is in the Xfinity Series.

Having secured the Cup Series ride at Trackhouse Racing for 2025, the Kiwi driver would want to end his Xfinity chapter on a high. And while he has raced pretty neat and tidy, he will have to ruffle some feathers at this stage of the season. It certainly will be interesting to see SVG in his competitive element on the ovals as well.