The Talladega Superspeedway can be a daunting track for NASCAR rookies, but Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) looks forward to conquering it this weekend. This will only be his second Cup Series start on the 2.66-mile tri-oval and he will be racing with the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro. The Kiwi is a fantastic road course racer but he is still getting used to the intricacies of Oval racing.
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Talladega is perhaps one of the hardest of the oval kind and is bound to try him. He is currently driving full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing and will join the Cup Series next year to drive for Trackhouse Racing. He is one of the playoff drivers challenging for the Xfinity title and sits sixth on the points table, eight points above the elimination line.
The three-time Supercars Champion told the press recently, “Talladega in the Cup car this weekend is going to be epic! I raced there for the first time earlier this season, and it was really cool to get the feel for superspeedway racing, we even led a couple of laps which was awesome. It will still be a challenge for me as I continue to learn on the ovals, but I know what to expect a little more heading into Sunday.”
He is scheduled to race in both the Xfinity and the Cup Series this weekend and hopes to secure good results on both fronts. Not every rookie shines as bright as SVG does in NASCAR. He is already up there challenging for a title and this makes it rather obvious that he will be a force to be reckoned with when he lands in the Cup Series full-time.
How a frustrated SVG performed a fantastic recovery drive in Kansas
His recent outing to Kansas ended in a decent eighth-placed finish. His crew chief Kevin Walter was fined $5,000 after a lug nut was found loose in the No. 97 during during post-race inspection. It was rather fortunate that SVG wasn’t handed a penalty that might have affected his position on the points table.
“I don’t know what you need to do, but f***ing start again,” he was heard yelling on his team radio during the race. “Oh my god. Sorry, it’s hard to be positive, but we are so far off.” He finished 23rd at the end of stage one and 20th at the end of stage two. Things did not seem very positive but a fantastic performance in the final stage earned him a deserved top 10.
Lifting the Xfinity Series title may be a long shot but 2024 can be considered a golden season should he make it through to the next round of the playoffs. Chances are high that he does so considering that the final race of the ongoing round is in the Charlotte Roval.
