Shane van Gisbergen is in disbelief as he secures P3 in INTIMIDATING Chicago streets by outqualifying his Trackhouse teammates
Shane van Gisbergen would probably be the first driver in the Cup garage to find the ideal lane to race on Sunday.
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Shane van Gisbergen at Chicago in his No:91 Trackhouse Chevy (Credits: @shanevg97/Twitter)
Supercar legend Shane van Gisbergen is set to make his NASCAR Cup series debut on Sunday. He has already secured a solid shot at winning the race, as he will start on the second row with a P3 on qualifiers. He was able to use the experience and expertise he has gained over the years while racing in heavy Supercars on street courses to full use at Chicago.
The three times Supercars champion will start behind Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin on the pole and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick in Toyota Camry Road Course packages that have been spot-on in 2023. He has the experience to back him and can run at the top the whole day if he can use the fast No:91 Trackhouse Chevy Camaro ZL1 he has at his disposal.
“No,” van Gisbergen said when asked if he expected to be this quick. He added, “I felt comfortable, and prep’s been good this week — done a lot of simulator and data study, watching on boards. I’ve done as much prep as I can. But yeah, the track was crazy. I’ve never driven a street track so bumpy, and it was pretty tough.”
While the No:91 took home the P3, Daniel Suarez in the No:99 had a solid day as well. He secured a P5 in qualifying and start in the third row. While last week’s Nashville race winner, Ross Chastain, will start back at P34 following his Q1 exit. Alongside the top 2, Toyota’s Suarez and Christopher Bell (P4) of JGR will challenge van Gisbergen from the start.
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Shane van Gisbergen admits that the Chicago track is intimidating
Even with all their experience and all races, he has won so far in Street Courses. The Kiwi driver is intimidated by the Chicago tracks. He pointed out that having minimal to no run-off area on the track is intimidating. He is diving deep into the breaking data and is taking pointers from his teammate to get better.
“You feel the weight of the car a lot when it slides; it really lets go. I had a few moments, and it’s difficult here. I was losing a lot of time (under braking) on the data. It’s so intimidating here because there’s no runoff, there’s just a wall in front of you,” van Gisbergen said.
Chastain on Sunday can better his performance by taking advice from van Gisbergen and Suarez on how to find a place for Sunday. Meanwhile, Bell and Suarez can find the perfect lane to drive in the track by following the Supercar driver from the back before potentially taking the lead from him.
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Justin P Joy
(5010 Articles Published)