Shane van Gisbergen gives an honest verdict on his NASCAR oval debut
Shane van Gisbergen qualified 28th and finished 19th in his oval debut at IRP.
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Shane van Gisbergen (Credits: Trackhouse Racing)
Chicago Cup race winner and Australian Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen made his first-ever NASCAR Truck Series start at Indianapolis Raceway Park. In his oval debut, van Gisbergen qualified 28th in a field of 36 trucks. The 34-year-old was impressive as he had only 15 minutes of practice and completed 16 laps before the main event. Yet, he fared well. He made up places and moved to 20th by the end of Stage 1.
Though he made up spots early in the race, Shane Van Gisbergen lost his position in Stage 2. He had an intense battle with the No. 17 Toyota Tundra Tricon Garage driver Taylor Gray. Then he avoided another Tricon driver Dean Thompson’s damaged truck during the final stage. Van Gisbergen put on a brilliant show and ran 15th at one point in the race. However, he fell back and faced a three-wide battle during the last stint. Van Gisbergen completed 199 of 200 laps and finished 19th.
The Supercars legend spoke about his first oval experience post-race. Shane van Gisbergen told Fox Sports at Indy, “I kind of liked it. The whole time yeah I was laughing and seeing people sliding and moving around that first stint. I took off pretty slow, and at the end, I was catching people. And watching them struggle was pretty fun, but it was the opposite in the last stint. But yeah, I really enjoyed it.”
Shane van Gisbergen claims his oval debut was ‘awesome’
Van Gisbergen told Fox Sports 1, “That was awesome but I have to say, a little gutted. 10 to go, finally dropped off the lead lap. But had a ball. Had some awesome racing with people. A lot of fun. Gotta thank Niece Motorsports, Worldwide Express, and the Trackhouse guys for having me. I’m living the dream.” The Chicago icon appreciated his fellow drivers for being respectful.
Shane van Gisbergen claimed he has plenty to learn in NASCAR. Though he said he gave the wrong call on adjustments and dropped on the last stint, he believes he had fun. The Kiwi finally got to check out the 0.686-mile oval short track. And it is safe to say he has impressed everyone. He even finished the race with hardly a scratch on his truck.
Shane van Gisbergen’s weekend began well as he moved from 28th place to 19th at IRP. Now, he will focus on Verizon 200 At The Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It will be his second Cup Series start, and he will hope to conquer the road course. There is no doubt he will aim for a solid finish. After all, he made history the last time he started a Cup race.
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Sugantha Meena
(493 Articles Published)