How Flying Commercial Is a Better Experience in Australia Than America

Australian Supercars Champion Shane van Gisbergen has been taking quite well to life in the United States over the past year. He has found tremendous success on the race track and most recently secured his third Xfinity Series victory of 2024 in the streets of Chicago, where he won his maiden NASCAR race last year. However, there’s one thing that the driver hasn’t adjusted to yet.

SVG was recently on the 12 Questions podcast with reporter Jeff Gluck when he was asked about the differences in race-to-race traveling experience between Supercars and NASCAR. He revealed in his answer that drivers always travel on commercial planes in Supercars and that the journeys were always relaxed and easy to undertake.

“The airports are easy,” he said. “Like say my flight is at 8 and you board at 7:30. I’ll turn up at 7:20 at the airport and just walk through security and you’re on. Whereas here, I allow two hours at the airport. It’s a joke.” He continued to explain that he had to wait for over an hour in a security queue in the United States and that such complications made him hate life.

SVG acknowledged that these were first-world problems. Nevertheless, he does have an out of it. Thankfully, in NASCAR, teams fly on chartered airplanes. The driver considered himself lucky for that, and said, “The planes aren’t the best, but it’s amazing. You pack up and go and you’re home the next day.” Though he knows the situation could be much worse, he reiterated that flying on commercial planes was a much better experience in Australia.

SVG’s interesting weekend at the Chicago Street Course

It was after winning his maiden Cup Series race at Chicago in 2023 that SVG became an overnight sensation across the world of stock car racing. He visited the Windy City a year later this past weekend intending to defend his success. While he did reach the victory lane in the Xfinity Series race, he couldn’t quite do so in the premier tier.

He became the first driver to crash out of the race on Sunday after Stewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe slipped on the damp track and bumped him out of contention. Regardless of the result, he is in a prime position to create history in his rookie season in the second tier.