For the first time in his career, Shane van Gisbergen is experiencing what it is like to be fully involved in the drama of the NASCAR Cup Series. The ongoing tussle in the sport over the championship format and the elimination-style playoffs has led to him providing an opinion based on what he has seen thus far, and it is not something that would make everybody happy.
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The former Australian Supercars champion was asked for his thoughts on allotting playoff berths to drivers who win a race in the regular season during a recent appearance on Corey LaJoie’s Stacking Pennies podcast. Van Gisbergen himself has a playoff spot secured through this means, for his victories in Mexico, Chicago, and Sonoma. He responded by expressing strong self-awareness right off the bat.
Admitting that he made it to the playoffs only through the courtesy of the current system, he said, “When I first won the race, I was 32nd or something [in points], so I can see why, but I really want Brad Keselowski to win a race ’cause he was like 30th as well at the time.
“And it would have been interesting to see what people thought about that because he’s a champion. And he could run pretty deep in the playoffs. So, I really like the dynamic it brings now, especially with Bubba [Wallace] winning.”
He pointed out how there are drivers on the bubble who are desperate for a win, and that their competitiveness makes things a lot more exciting. This is not a stand that the likes of Denny Hamlin and Mark Martin would appreciate.
They’ve been pitching for a full-season points-based format devoid of the formula by which drivers get to the playoffs through regular-season victories. SVG expressed openness to restructuring how the championship is being decided by a single race, but he is too fond of how drivers become eligible to race in the playoffs currently.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Hamlin have discussed multiple formats in the past through which the champion can be decided through two, three, or more races. The purpose behind this is to crown the most worthy driver. The season finale going down at a single track can turn out to be hugely advantageous for a single driver.
For instance, if the finale went down in a road course, van Gisbergen is the likely driver to end up being the champion, due to his mastery of the track type, even if he hasn’t necessarily been the best driver of the season. This is something NASCAR must try to avoid, and the Kiwi is all there to see change on this front.
