Chicago holds fond memories for Shane van Gisbergen as he won his debut Cup Series race there last season. NASCAR will race on the city’s narrow streets once again this weekend. SVG is the favorite again, especially after winning the Xfinity Series road course races at Portland and Sonoma. Kyle Larson, however, is looking forward to “trying to beat a guy who is way better than us.”
Advertisement
Last season was the first time Cup drivers raced in the Chicago Street Race so there were a lot of unknowns. SVG was coming from a background where such type of racing was common. Larson believes that the Kiwi will still have a huge advantage over the rest of the field. However, he also believes that the teams will set up their cars a lot better than last year.
Good day for our @WeatherTech Chevy today, moved forward every stage and had a blast! Although that’s definitely in the top 5 of hottest races I’ve ever done 🥵🔥
Looking forward to Chicago next weekend! pic.twitter.com/pGqKiJD7lW— Shane van Gisbergen (@shanevg97) June 30, 2024
“He was way faster than us last year so I imagine he’ll be really good again,” he said. “I think teams probably are going to get their cars better so gonna allow us to hopefully be closer to him.”
Trackhouse Racing will also be doing whatever it can to ensure SVG gets the best possible car. The Supercars champion might hand the team its second Cup Series victory of the season on Sunday.
William Byron wary of Shane van Gisbergen’s race craft
While Larson believes that better setups might help the rest run close to SVG, William Byron is of a different opinion. The Hendrick Motorsports star believes that it all comes down to racecraft on the narrow street track of Chicago.
SVG’s years of experience driving in Supercars have given him a great feel for track limits and walls. The other Cup racers are not as comfortable in tight spaces.
“He’ll certainly still have an advantage. I think his awareness and feel for the walls and how close he can be is probably the biggest advantage I see, he’s very comfortable with that,” Byron said.
Will Gisbergen go back-to-back on the streets of Chicago or will someone else take away his crown? Nothing is predictable in NASCAR but the scales sure tip in the Kiwi’s favour at the moment.
