Shane van Gisbergen has put together an extremely impressive rookie year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, but you’d be wrong to simply call him a road-course ringer.
While it’s true that all three of van Gisbergen’s victories have come on road-courses, he has three additional top-10 finishes at the likes of Atlanta, Phoenix and Indianapolis.
With little practice available to him, van Gisbergen has forced to learn on the fly during races. However, he’s adapted quickly to the Xfinity Series, finishing top-15 in 12 of his first 20 races. A potential top-10 run at Pocono was spoiled due to contact with Sam Mayer, but it’s clear that SVG has taken quickly to stock-car racing.
Due to his road-course aptitude, it’s van Gisbergen who currently leads the Xfinity Series in wins. If the regular-season ended today, van Gisbergen would be seeded in the top-five, a major help in his bid for the 2024 Xfinity Series championship.
His lack of oval experience, however, shouldn’t be a reason for his championship competitors to take him lightly. While there’s only one road-course in the playoffs — the Charlotte Roval on Oct. 12 — it serves as the elimination race for the Round of 12. Even if Kansas and Talladega don’t go van Gisbergen’s way, a win at the Roval would automatically put him in the Round of 8.
The schedule for the Round of 8 doesn’t explicitly favor van Gisbergen, containing Las Vegas, Homestead and Martinsville, but it doesn’t serve as the death knell for his title bid, either. Van Gisbergen didn’t get a fair shake in his first trip to Las Vegas in March, as engine troubles derailed his day. Homestead will be a completely new venue for the New Zealander, but Martinsville could be his opportunity to strike.
Van Gisbergen ran inside the top-10 at Martinsville in April before ultimately settling for an 11th-place finish. Considering how quickly he learns in his debuts at tracks, going to a track for the second time could be the catalyst for his first oval victory.
Take SVG lightly at your own risk, Xfinity Series field: Behind the smiling, good natured shell of the Auckland native is a fierce competitor who is one of the best rookies any NASCAR series has ever seen.
