“It’s Kind of Wonky” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Worries SVG With His IRP Breakdown

The Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park was set for thrilling NASCAR Truck Series action. The spotlight was on three-time Supercar champion Shane van Gisbergen, who added another race to his NASCAR schedule—this time, an oval! Niece Motorsports made the announcement on Wednesday that they would field him in the Truck Series, driving the #41 Chevrolet truck.

Fueling the anticipation, an episode of The Dale Jr. Download podcast, featuring van Gisbergen in conversation with Dale Earnhardt Jr, dropped recently. The podcast witnessed Dale Jr sharing valuable advice for racing around the IRP oval.

Dale Earnhardt Jr highlights the complexity of the Indianapolis oval

During the podcast, Dale Jr and Shane van Gisbergen discussed the challenges of racing at IRP lamenting the aggressive racing and the unique way of driving the track demands. Junior highlighted IRP’s complexity compared to standard ovals, saying, “It’s kind of wonky.”

“You can move that apex wherever you want at that track, right? Depending on the balance of your truck, so it’s not as straightforward as a lot of ovals,” he added.

SVG questioned if this was due to the track surface or banking to which Junior was quick to explain that the top groove that shows noticeable banking, allows for different strategies. They also talked about the tactics of staying low or running tighter when necessary, especially to pass opponents.

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The hardest part of IRP according to Junior

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Among the complexities, Dale Earnhardt Jr delved into the common pitfalls drivers encounter on this unforgiving track. He identified the art of overtaking as a major hurdle. Negotiating critical maneuvers without overcommitting and avoiding a potential loss of control is an arduous task, a mistake all too common at IRP. Delving further, the former NASCAR star unveiled the track’s demanding nature, attributing the mishaps to the flat contour and the subtle opposite banking on the lower groove.

“That was the hardest part of IRP for me. When you turn a guy down, but when you go low to pass him, he’s got the momentum at the top, right? And he can make it really hard and not get into the corner too hard and getting too loose and backing myself into the fence. That’s like the common mistake at IRP. Once you catch somebody, and try to go past them. Is that you drive into the corner and get loose under them,” Junior said.

As Dale’s words of wisdom reverberate, it’s evident that his advice carries weight. While Shane van Gisbergen might feel a twinge of apprehension, there’s a silver lining in Dale Jr’s counsel. The sentiment is crystal clear: the track demands grit and assertiveness. With a nod to the challenge ahead and armed with Junior’s advice, SVG was able to better his qualifying position of 28th as he landed a top-20 finish.

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