Shane van Gisbergen Takes a Sly Dig at Rumors of the Kiwi Joining Kyle Busch as Adelaide-500 Wildcards

Last year, Kyle Busch was named as a wildcard entry for the 2024 Adelaide 500 in the Supercars championship. While the series does not usually include one-off entrants, they made an exception in Rowdy’s case as part of Richard Childress Racing’s partnership with Erebus Motorsports.

“We’ve talked to him some about coming,” Childress told V8 Sleuth in regards to Busch running Adelaide in 2023. “I think he might one of these days. He’d enjoy this. The track’s good, right, the kind of racing that he’d like. I think he’d do good over here.” The two championship-caliber outfits were supposed to bolster their relationship further. Now, recently, reports emerged by Speedcafe that Shane van Gisbergen could once again attempt to participate in the Adelaide 500 as well, along with IndyCar racer Scott McLaughlin.

It is well known that SVG planned his Trans Am Series run at Queensland Raceway in 2022 as well, but even the plan was short-lived. Now, this time, once again the news has brought about plenty of excitement from fans, who are keen to see the former Supercars champions compete in the V8-powered series.

Update? Supercars fans will have to wait more, as Shane van Gisbergen took to social media to cast doubt over his participation at Adelaide Street Circuit in 2024.

In the Speedcafe speculation, an existing Trico Trans Am team approached Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin for a proposition to participate in the 2024 VAILO Adelaide 500. No doubt, both drivers have achieved tremendous success in the event previously, with Shane van Gisbergen winning in 2013, 2017, and 2018, while Scott McLaughlin secured victories in 2019 and 2020. But both the Kiwis are currently pursuing different racing dreams.

So shutting down all rumors and responding to his presence at the Adelaide 500, the 35-year-old commented on Speedcafe’s article on X, as he wrote, “First I’ve heard of it,” sarcastically making it clear that no such approach has been made. Currently plying his trade as a full-time racer in the Xfinity Series, Shane van Gisbergen has already won three times in 20 races so far this season and is expected to compete in the playoffs. While he didn’t provide more details on the Supercars involvement, Shane van Gisbergen is focused on NASCAR Tier 1 and is hoping to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series next season, with various reports linking him to Trackhouse Racing.

Speaking of the one-off competitors running Supercars races, while they are traditionally not allowed at the Adelaide 500, an exception is being made this time around. Australian Racing Group has informed competitors that they will need to participate in two rounds of the Trico Trans Am Series. This means that drivers who haven’t raced in Trans Am this year will need to be on the grid for both the EVENTelec Race Queensland and Supercheap Auto Bathurst International events.

On the flip side, with Kyle Busch competing at the Adelaide 500 in 2024, his exception to the entry rule remains to be seen, and if he does, maybe he could finally have a win this year. And, if Kyle Busch runs, he will be seen in both the main race at the Vailo Adelaide 500 and the Super2 race, and is most likely to drive the Triple Eight wildcard car in the main game and an Image Racing Commodore in Super2.

But do you know why SVG pulled out of Trans Am in the past?

Former Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen has been toying with the idea of making an appearance in Trans Am for a while. The Kiwi had entered the Bathurst round of the Trans Am series in April 2022 but was forced to pull out at the last moment after contracting COVID-19. As a result, his appearance was pushed back by a month at the QR SpeedSeries event, but that was called off as well. The reason was that his Supercars team Triple Eight did not allow Shane van Gisbergen to add Trans Am to his already busy schedule.

The Kiwi had already tested Tim Shaw’s Chevrolet Camaro at Queensland Raceway in anticipation of his Trans Am appearance earlier in 2022. Speaking about Shane van Gisbergen not being able to participate in the Australian National Trans Am Series, Shaw said, “It’s disappointing for us.”

This could have been a good opportunity for Shane van Gisbergen, and clearly, as Shaw said, “We had a successful test with him, it was a great day, and we were looking forward to a very competitive outing at Queensland Raceway. The decision was made by Triple Eight for Shane to not compete in the Trans Am Series.”

While Shane van Gisbergen has all but confirmed that he won’t be competing at the 2024 VAILO Adelaide 500 as well, fans will hope for a change in fortunes. As things stand, his focus is firmly on NASCAR, where he hopes to secure the Xfinity Series championship by the end of the year and progress into the Cup Series in 2025. His performances this season warrant a place in NASCAR’s top tier, and even if he doesn’t win the coveted title, it will be surprising if he doesn’t have a seat in the Cup Series next year. Currently, he’s 13th in the drivers ranking, with 3 wins, 10 Top 10’s and 6 Top 5’s.

Do you think Shane van Gisbergen could win the Xfinity Championship this year?