William Byron is quickly becoming one of the better road course racers in the NASCAR Cup Series. So when it comes to discussing Shane van Gisbergen’s prowess in the short time he’s been in NASCAR, Byron is both complimentary and analytical of SVG’s talent and ability.
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Byron has two wins on a road course (COTA and Watkins Glen), as well as a combined six top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes from 36 starts.
Ever since he started racing on computers, Byron would study what his fellow competitors were doing and the key to their success. He’s been the same way since working his way up into the NASCAR Cup ranks. He still puts in several hours a week studying his opponents, watches past race films and tries to analyze a rival’s strengths and weaknesses.
That’s why Byron is such a student of what van Gisbergen has done in his brief tenure in NASCAR. Ever since the New Zealand driver won his NASCAR debut in the 2023 Chicago Street Race, he’s gone on to earn four Cup wins and four other Xfinity wins — all on road courses.
But SVG is quickly learning the tricks of the trade in an area where he has been deficient, namely, racing on ovals.
“What I see with him is he looks like us on ovals,” Byron said of van Gisbergen. “He’s just comfortable from lap one. He has a good understanding of what to achieve in his car. He’s smooth, he’s not sliding the tire to make speed, so he’s not out there out of control. When he makes a good lap time, it’s repeatable, and he learns from it. He makes another good one.”
Van Gisbergen got a late start in NASCAR, coming from overseas in 2023 at the age of 34. He’s now 36 and is essentially trying to make up for lost time. But it’s not like van Gisbergen is a beginner: he has a number of wins and championships, including several in the Australian V8 Supercars series.
Road course racing is similar between Cup and Supercars
While Supercars are not like NASCAR Cup cars, racing on road courses is still pretty much the same in the two series.
“When I look at him, I just see a guy that just fully understands what we’re doing,” Byron added about van Gisbergen. “What I’ve always been amazed with him is how quickly he adapted to the NASCAR stuff.
“I assume there’s nuances and differences to how we set the cars up than out in Australia in the Supercars. So, I mean, yeah, there’s a lot of similarities to that car: the low-profile tire, the sequential shifter.
“I’m impressed with how quickly he adapts to the car, but I think his technique and everything reminds me a lot of how a lot of us achieve stuff on ovals where we’re just comfortable from lap one. He can just find his limits. He’s very particular with the car as well.”
