This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Over there, they will be joined by some new faces and some familiar faces on the grid. One of them is V8 Supercars sensation, Shane van Gisbergen, making his second-ever race start. On his NASCAR Cup Series debut, he made a real impression by winning at the Chicago Street Course. Recently, the New Zealand native made an appearance on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast.

The Kiwi opened up about racing at the Indianapolis road course and was looking forwards to the race. Van Gisbergen told the Dale Jr Download, “Watching that race last year was crazy. Even the pileup we had at Chicago was nuts. I was cheering, I thought I made up 10 spots and then they let everyone back through. Didn’t know what was happening. I thought I got a free kick.”

READ MORE: “A Switch Was Flipped” – Shane van Gisbergen Taken Aback by the Extreme Intensity Shift in NASCAR

What NASCAR Cup Series race was Shane van Gisbergen referring to?

The 3-time V8 Supercars champion was referring to the 2022 Indy race that Tyler Reddick won. To be perfectly honest, it was fairly chaotic, with several instances of driver-on-driver contact. The drama kicked off right at the start, with a driver already spinning after getting tagged. Multiple drivers spun during the race, including Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, Justin Haley, Brad Keselowski, and many more.

One particularly nasty incident involved Kyle Larson wiping out Ty Dillon. Apparently, Larson had a brake failure and the unsuspecting Dillon was the unwilling brake. Drivers were going 5-wide and even 6-wide into the first corner. Unfortunately, that just resulted in a lot of rubbed fenders and damaged cars.

Will the Trackhouse Racing driver be able to bag a second win?

Trending

Reality Struck Shane van Gisbergen Has His Playoffs Chances Cut Short Even Before His Full Time Debut in 2025

Martin Truex Jr. Urges Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Come Back for a Final Battle Despite His Off-Track Commitments

Dale Earnhardt Jr Skeptical About His New Found Partnership With Amazon as He Reminisces His Days With NBC

NASCAR Fans Back Kyle Busch’s Son’s Desperate Plea Amidst Denny Hamlin’s ‘Bad Luck’ Reluctance

Cole Custer Drops 5-Word Confession as He Hands Tony Stewart & Co Another Championship Crown

To be honest, this is a difficult question to answer. In Chicago, every driver was seeing the track for the first time, and van Gisbergen happened to adapt quicker. However, the Indianapolis Road Course is a track that most are familiar with. As a result, the regular drivers would be able to put up a decent challenge.

It is also worth mentioning that out of the newcomers, only Jenson Button has raced there before. From 2000 until 2007, and skipping the controversial 2005 race, Button has competed at Indianapolis. Even fellow ex-F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi has not raced at Indianapolis. Now, Shane van Gisbergen will be eager to hop back in the car and go racing this weekend.

WATCH THIS STORY: “Going to Beer School Was Cool” – Ross Chastain Enters Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Good Books After Making a Change in Lifestyle