The 2023 NASCAR Cup season brought about a massive breakout star. That was none other than New Zealand driver Shane van Gisbergen. However, fast forward to today, there was a massive shock because the 3-time V8 Supercars champion failed to qualify for the ARCA Series race. Fortunately, his fans need not fret because he has just been handed a lifeline, with a rival team withdrawing.

SVG, as he is fondly known, will be making multiple appearances across the NASCAR paddock, from the Cup Series all the way down to the ARCA Series. Initially, his much-awaited ARCA Series debut was on ice when his lap time was not good enough to qualify. Initially, he was one of 10 drivers who failed to make the cut at the Daytona International Speedway in the ARCA Series. But as per reports, the CCM team’s #7 car withdrew from the race, giving the spot to van Gisbergen.

How did the series of events unfold for Shane van Gisbergen?

Frankly, the situation was quite bizarre for NASCAR standards. As mentioned before, van Gisbergen had just missed out on qualifying for the ARCA Series race. However, it appears that he was the highest-placed driver among the lot. Interestingly, there were a number of complaints about the ARCA Series qualifying format.

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Another one who missed out was Brayton Laster, who was understandably devastated. He wrote on Twitter, “This one hurts, had a really good car and just fell victim to goofy ahh group qualifying and never even had a chance to set down a competitive qualifying lap. Nothing to do but feel sorry to the entire TC/MAN Motorsports team and crew guys, they did an awesome job, just unfortunate series of events. I’m also sorry to everyone that hopped on board for this race, your support got me here to begin with, I don’t know when the next one is, or if we’ll even get another shot at this level, but I’ll do everything I can to try and make it back. Just glad we’re bringing the car home in one piece and no damage.”

Meanwhile, the driver who withdrew was the #7 car of Eric Caudell. He had initially qualified 17th on the grid, but his withdrawal opened up a spot, and now van Gisbergen has been classified in 34th place. While all this was going on, Willie Mullins stuck his car on pole position for the ARCA race at Daytona.

What else is on Shane van Gisbergen’s itinerary?

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Aside from the drama in the ARCA Series arena, the Kiwi driver also has his Xfinity Series debut to look ahead to. He will be driving for Kaulig Racing, in partnership with Trackhouse Racing. As per reports, officials will be keeping an eye on him during the Xfinity Series practice and qualifying sessions.

Frankly, his failure to qualify was surprising, because he looked fairly competitive in testing. Additionally, he also looked fairly competitive during the Thursday practice session, going as high as 2nd place. The most likely culprit was that the rest of the pack just picked up the pace and he found qualifying a little harder than he thought.

WATCH THIS STORY: How Shane Van Gisbergen’s Chicago Victory Became an Embarrassing Nightmare for Cup Drivers?