Shane Van Gisbergen Names The “Top Guy at Trackhouse Racing” after Ross Chastain’s Coca Cola 600 triumph

Shane Van Gisbergen is full of praises for Ross Chastain as he achieves an impressive victory with Trackhouse Racing at the Coke 600.

Shane Van Gisbergen Names The “Top Guy at Trackhouse Racing” after Ross Chastain’s Coca Cola 600 triumph

Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain (Via IMAGO)

Ross Chastain emerged victorious at the Coca-Cola 600 after overtaking William Byron in the final stages of the race. The No.1 driver didn’t hold back from celebrating his impressive feat with great enthusiasm. Following Chastain’s sublime drive at the Charlotte Speedway, his own teammate, Shane Van Gisbergen, has christened the race winner with an awesome title.

Ross Chastain left no stone unturned in his efforts to win the Coca-Cola 600 after starting the race from all the way back of the grid. The No.1 Chevy driver broke the coveted record of winning the race from the last position after Bobby Allison back in 1969. As such, the “Melon Man” stayed true to his nickname and smashed a watermelon on his head to further glorify the evening.

Shane Van Gisbergen was also full of praise as he lauded the race-winner with great applause. The No.88 driver didn’t hesitate to place Ross Chastain above not only himself but everyone else at Trackhouse Racing. SVG notes that Chastain is the ‘top guy’ at Trackhouse as Daniel Suarez comes second close to the former in terms of results.

The 36-year-old reckons that everyone in the team is pushing really hard for success, as they seem to achieve that now. Still, the team’s qualifying woes seem to continue as they fail to amass any notable results over the qualifying session. Now, as the race pace seems to improve, the team can focus on showing up with better results in Qualifying.

 I think he’s the top guy here. And Daniel’s pretty close as well. Like, everyones pushing really hard. They’re race-winning drivers. And we’re qualifying mid-20s and then the 30s every week.

Shane Van Gisbergen told Steven Taranto in an interview, @STaranto92/X.

Shane Van Gisbergen labels himself as the ‘weakness’ at Trackhouse Racing

While Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, and other drivers seem to get a better grip on themselves and their results, Shane Van Gisbergen struggles to bring home impressive results. SVG has not achieved any top 5 finishes yet, as he has achieved a singular top 10 finish.

Shane van Gisbergen
Shane van Gisbergen (Via IMAGO)

In addition to this, the No.88 driver has an average starting position of 30.2 and a finishing average of just 27.5. As such, the 36-year-old doesn’t hesitate to accept his shortcomings in results this year.

SVG reckons that he was fifth or sixth on the average lap in the main race as he performed decently at the Coca-Cola 600 after finishing P14 in the pecking order. The No.88 driver highlighted that the tire couldn’t come alive during the Qualifying session, which set him on the back foot for the entire race.

Moreover, Gisbergen accepted that from a team standpoint, he is the weakest link, holding everyone back. Now, he will have to compare his results with his teammates and use them as an improvement point.

I think I was fifth or sixth on the average lap. Like, I was pretty good. But qualifying, we just can’t switch the tire on. So, yeah, we need to work on that. But, yeah, as a team, for me, you know, I know I’m the weakness. so I just have to compare to my teammates and try and get closer to them.

Shane Van Gisbergen noted.

Ross Chastain ended Trackhouse Racing’s 18-race winless streak after emerging victorious at the Charlotte Speedway. Chastain has also guaranteed his spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs this year following the win. Now, it is up to SVG to look up to his teammate and perform similarly, if not better than them, by the end of the season.

Read More: Richard Childress Declares Kyle Busch’s Career “Is Not Even Close” to It’s End