It’s not like Shane van Gisbergen had to come to the U.S. to achieve racing fame and fortune. The New Zealand native had already achieved quite a bit racing in Australian Super Cars, earning three championships, 80 race wins, and 176 podiums in over 500 races, including capturing the prestigious Bathurst 1000 three times.
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While there’s an old saying in the U.S. that to achieve fame and fortune, you must “Go West, young man,” van Gisbergen decided to “Go East, young man” when he crossed the Pacific Ocean to make his way into NASCAR.
Since competing in his first NASCAR Cup race in 2023, the man nicknamed “SVG” has quickly become one of the greatest road course drivers in NASCAR history. He won his first-ever Cup race, the 2023 Chicago Street Race, and has gone on to win nine races (all road courses): five in Cup, including four this season alone (with one more road course still left on the schedule), and four in the Xfinity Series.
Needless to say, with his NASCAR success, SVG has become an even larger star and hero back home in New Zealand, as well as his adopted homeland in Australia.
Van Gisbergen has also prompted other Australian or New Zealand drivers to come to the U.S. in the last couple of years, including Brodie Kostecki, Cam Waters, Will Brown and Jack Perkins.
SVG was not the first Australian Supercars driver to come to NASCAR
And let’s not forget Australia native Marcos Ambrose, who preceded SVG, and had a long and successful history in NASCAR as the first Australian racer to win in the Cup Series.
Ambrose started out in Supercars, was in the U.S. for nearly a decade, went back to Australia to return to Supercars before abruptly quitting, claiming he was burned out from all the years of racing, and went on to open a lodge in his native Tasmania.
Having won his fourth race this season this past Sunday at Watkins Glen, van Gisbergen appeared on this week’s edition of the Dale Jr. Download podcast. Host Dale Earnhardt Jr. asked SVG if he expects even more drivers to come from Australia or New Zealand to the U.S. and NASCAR because of the success he’s had thus far.
First, van Gisbergen admitted that any drivers from overseas that hope to follow in his footsteps could have a difficult time.
“Yeah, it’s hard,” van Gisbergen said. “You obviously got to have someone with commitment, like what I’ve had in Justin (team owner Justin Marks). I’m extremely thankful for in how much he’s committed, uprooting me from home, getting me out of my contract, flying me over here. It’s a big thing to do.”
But just like SVG dreamed of coming to America, there are many young drivers or even just young fans who haven’t even begun racing, who would love to follow in his shoes here in the U.S.
“There’s a lot of young guys there,” van Gisbergen said. “There’s a guy who was my teammate, Broc Feeney, who is killing it in Supercars. He loves it (NASCAR). He’s on the ovals all the time on iRacing and watching all the ovals, texting me all the time. I think he would be really good and I’ve been trying to get him into a road course race with Kaulig (Racing), now that they’ve got some spare seats. I think he would be a really, really good guy to bring over.
“Cam Waters has come and did some truck races. He’s struggling, but with time he would be good. He’s a massive talent as well. Yeah, it’s a big commitment to bring someone over and I hope someone else tries it.”
