Van Gisbergen plots career move to rock Supercars

1 year ago 103

Amid a barren calendar and discontent with the caller Gen3 racer, Shane van Gisbergen is connected the cusp of leaving the bid that made him famous.

The Kiwi admits he's fallen retired of emotion with Supercars.

Publicly, van Gisbergen says he's frustrated by the deficiency of racing. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the bid has featured conscionable 12 events per year.

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Behind the scenes, van Gisbergen is annoyed with the new-for-2023 touring car, which is uncomfortable, temperamental, and blighted by an ongoing parity imbalance.

Now, a full-time power to the NASCAR Cup Series is being tabled.

Shane van Gisbergen sits 4th successful the Supercars standings aft 5 events. (Daniel Kalisz via Getty Images)

Ahead of his NASCAR debut connected the streets of Chicago, van Gisbergen told the media his involvement successful the USA has grown exponentially successful the past 12 months.

This weekend, he'll vie with Trackhouse Racing, a squad that is owned successful portion by creator Pitbull. At the moment, it's a one-off. However, that could rapidly change.

Last year, NASCAR introduced a caller specification car that has immoderate similarities to Supercars. That has meant a overmuch easier modulation for van Gisbergen, who said the erstwhile procreation of car would person been overmuch harder to get to grips with.

Speculation has been rife that van Gisbergen could beryllium retired of Supercars arsenic soon arsenic the extremity of this season, though helium said helium remains committed to his 2024 contractual obligations.

Shane van Gisbergen (right) with Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suarez astatine Nashville Superspeedway. (Noah Watts / Daylon Barr Photography)

"I conjecture Supercars isn't that amusive astatine the moment. (I'm) not truly enjoying it arsenic overmuch and starting to deliberation astir different things and look around," said van Gisbergen.

"But my information for Supercars is high. Like I'm inactive trying hard and pushing arsenic hard arsenic I can. It's complicated. Now I've started watching NASCAR much again this twelvemonth that the opportunities travel up and it's appealing.

"Like you spot truthful galore much roadworthy courses. The cars are truthful akin now, similar 2 seasons agone the cars were truthful foreign. Like you couldn't leap successful them consecutive away. You'd person to person done a mates of years of trucks oregon Xfinity (second tier) – similar Marcus (Ambrose) did up the ladder. These cars are overmuch much applicable for immoderate operator done the world.

"It looks appealing though. They're doing much roadworthy courses, much variation, and seeing this week the routine; similar you spell to a race, you person a time off, past you walk the week debriefing and past absorption connected the adjacent contention and spell travelling and bash it each again.

"Like the regular of racing and each play is, it's beauteous appealing. It's mid-year now, past mid-year, and we've lone done 5 races successful Supercars. So that's the entreaty for maine conscionable to go, effort it retired and contention each week. It would be, it would beryllium beauteous chill maybe. But yeah, spot however this week goes."

Shane van Gisbergen completed his archetypal NASCAR Cup Series trial astatine Charlotte Motor Spedway connected the roval. (Supplied)

NASCAR is famed for its prolific calendar, which is the largest of immoderate motorsport bid astatine that level.

The play begins successful February and concludes successful November, with a full of 36 points-paying races and 4 accumulation races.

Van Gisbergen said a displacement to NASCAR was not thing that helium was actively pursuing portion helium was successful the United States but said helium was unfastened to offers.

"Just unfastened eyes and ears this week, conscionable effort and instrumentality it each successful and bask myself really," helium explained.

"I've got nary unit connected myself for results and I cognize that my mentation is bully and if I person amusive possibly it's thing I volition look at.

"I'm afloat focused connected Supercars for this twelvemonth and next, for sure. Maybe if thing comes up, I'll decidedly entertain it."

After initially earmarking IndyCar arsenic an enactment – declaring "never accidental never" – van Gisbergen said he's much funny successful NASCAR fixed it wouldn't beryllium arsenic large a power to make.

That's contempt Scott McLaughlin having successfully moved from Supercars to IndyCar and won successful the single-seater series.

"The oval worldly doesn't truly excite maine overmuch successful those cars, not similar NASCAR does," said van Gisbergen.

"NASCAR looks truly appealing and thing I'd benignant of leap at. Whereas IndyCar you'd person to deliberation about.

"It's a massive, monolithic alteration successful vocation driving style. For me, I'd person to interruption with the different foot. It's huge, immense departure from what I bash now.

"The NASCAR worldly is simply a monolithic change, but not arsenic big."

Van Gisbergen volition marque his NASCAR Cup Series debut astatine the inaugural Chicago thoroughfare contention connected Monday.

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