Three-time Supercars champion Shane Van Gisbergen has finally set foot in NASCAR. Making his debut in Chicago, the Kiwi has joined Justin Marks and Pitbull-owned Trackhouse Racing Team, driving the #91 Chevy. Called the fourth most successful racing driver in the Supercars Championship, Gisbergen proved his racing prowess at Chicago’s street circuit. Stunning the NASCAR world with his blistering performance, the TRT driver qualified at the 3rd spot for the Grant Park 220 Cup Series race.
After dominating the 37-car playing field, Shane van Gisbergen sided with Kyle Busch in a post-practice interview, complaining about the rough track conditions.
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“Bumpy”: Shane van Gisbergen echoes Kyle Busch’s stance
Joe Gibbs Racing’s #11 driver, Denny Hamlin secured the pole position in qualifying at the Chicago Street Course. Hamlin securing the pole position at the unforgiving track was a massive achievement, but the JGR driver’s thunder was quickly stolen by the rookie Kiwi. Shane Van Gisbergen posted the fastest lap time during the 50-minute practice. outpacing Hamlin by 0.313 seconds.
Gisbergen’s domination continued all throughout qualification as he battled for the pole position with Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick. Although the JGR #11 driver secured the pole, Gisbergen’s racing finesse overshadowed Hamlin’s pole-winning run.
As the Kiwi’s on-track performance marked him as a title threat, a post-practice interview shared by Frontstretch saw Gisbergen siding with Busch. Complaining about the street course’s bumpy surface, the #91 driver said, “Yeah like I felt comfortable, and prep’s been good this week. Done a lot of simulator and data study, watching on boards. I’ve done as much prep as I can. But yeah the track was crazy. I’ve never driven a street track so bumpy, and it’s pretty tough.”
These words of Shane Van Gisbergen echoed Kyle Busch’s stance when he had earlier dissected the flaws of the Chicago racecourse.
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“Rough, Bumpy, Slippery”: Kyle Busch dissects the flaws of Chicago’s street circuit
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While the NASCAR world geared up for its Chicago street racing venture, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch had his reservations regarding the street course. Not on board with NASCAR’s maiden street project, Busch heavily criticized the street circuit’s layout and rough surface.
Dissecting the flaws of the Chicago Street Course, Busch said, “It’s really rough. It’s bumpy. It’s slippery. There’s some corners that are very challenging.. some blind ones at that. When you’re going around the Bean on the left-hander, that’s really, really slippery and there’s a huge bump going through (turn) nine before you get into (turn) 10.”
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While earlier Kyle Busch’s concerns may have been shoved aside as irrelevant, Shane Van Gisbergen’s words following the on-track experience stand testimony to Rowdy’s sound judgment skills.
Read More: Kyle Busch Breaks Character for an Entire 29 Seconds to Compliment NASCAR’s Next Gen Car