SVG Confesses Self-Inflicted Blunder Hours Before His Debut in NASCAR Ovals

The breakthrough by Shane van Gisbergen at the Chicago Street Course is one of the iconic moments in the sport’s modern history. The 3x Supercars champion made his much anticipated NASCAR debut worth it. This Friday, SVG returns to racing in NASCAR, and this time it will be his second debut in NASCAR as he tries his hand in the Craftsman Truck Series.

The NASCAR paddock has landed in Indianapolis for the races this weekend. With Trackhouse Racing already set to be the destination for SVG in the Cup race on Sunday, Niece Motorsports have availed his services for Friday. But surprisingly, Gisbergen claims that the decision to race at the Indianapolis Raceway Park might not have been intentional.

Shane van Gisbergen reveals how he made the unintentional decision to race in a NASCAR oval

When Gisbergen snatched the lead in the final stages of the Cup race in Chicago, it was pretty evident why Justin Marks had decided to go with him. The defending Supercars champion has a variety of skills in his arsenal; specifically, racing on a road course can be advantageous to him. Considering his love for road courses, SVG was blinded by it as he accepted to offer his services for an oval track debut on the basis of a cognitive error.

“Justin rang last week, and he said, ‘Oh, you’re here for the race. Do you want to do the truck race on Friday?'” started Shane, explaining the run-up to making his Truck Series debut.

“And I said yes, thinking it was at the road course, but it’s not. It’s down the road. Yeah, it’s going to be pretty different. I’ve seen the truck. When I first went and looked at it, I thought the left front was broken; it’s hanging out the wrong side. But it’s such a different world for me, and I watched the race on the way over, tried to study it, and it’s a pretty crazy style of racing, so that’s going to be a tough initiation, I think,” said SVG, speaking on NASCAR Race Hub.

However, racing in a lower tier of NASCAR wouldn’t be detrimental to him. The Truck Series provides a unique challenge in itself and has produced some great drivers over the years who have made it big in the Cup. Adapting to NASCAR and its ways will be pivotal for SVG, who will grace the #91 Camaro yet again on Sunday.

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SVG says racing for Trackhouse Racing opened his eyes

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The rumors about Shane van Gisbergen making a full-time switch to NASCAR have only gotten stronger in recent weeks. Following the footsteps of another Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin who shifted to the NTT IndyCar Series, Gisbergen couldn’t hide his enthusiasm about his oval debut.

“It’s massive, it’s a lot of unknowns to come, the oval stuff. I haven’t done (an oval) race yet, just the learning of it. But I’ve done Supercars full-time since 2007 … so a good time to change, try something new. I’ve got a lot of good years left in me, I guess. Come and try something different,” said the 34-year-old talking to NBC about his adventures in the industry so far.

“That just opened my eyes to how it all works, how the garages are, how the teams operate, how it’s so relaxed, but when it’s go time, the switch is flipped and it’s intense. It’s a really cool style of racing. […] I’ve done the Rolex 24 (five times) and that was a similar experience. The racing weekend was so relaxed and the race was so intense. I missed the style and how much fun, the attitude the American people have to the racing. It was really cool,” he added.

A driver of the caliber of Shane van Gisbergen is a massive addition to any roster. Niece Motorsports will be looking to extract the best of his abilities on Friday having seen a glimpse of his success at the Chicago Street Race. If a permanent move to the Cup Series materializes, it will also be a step forward in Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks’s plans to bring in more stars from other divisions of motorsports.

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