Shane Van Gisbergen Confesses He Hated “Driving Supercars Machinery” After Third NASCAR Win

Shane van Gisbergen made a big confession over hating V8 Supercars before NASCAR switch.

Shane Van Gisbergen Confesses He Hated “Driving Supercars Machinery” After Third NASCAR Win

Shane van Gisbergen at Mexico City (via Imago)

Shane van Gisbergen is a V8 Supercars legend. The Kiwi driver dominated the Australian racing Championship in recent years before making a shock switch to NASCAR. The Trackhouse Racing star has excelled even in the stock car series, with a handful of race wins to his name. Now, Gisbergen has revealed that he was never a fan of his older championship.

The 36-year-old has already made his way into the Playoffs after winning the Mexico City race. This has divided opinions over the Playoff format. Nevertheless, it shows that Gisbergen indeed has what it takes in the world of NASCAR.

While things were tricky for the Kiwi driver at the start of the season, he soon got used to stock cars. Shane van Gisbergen joked that Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks has silenced critics over his arrival to the team, considering his entry into the Playoffs.

It justifies, or backs up, why we’ve done it and why Justin [Marks] believes in me. Justin looks like the smartest guy here after me locking into the playoffs, especially how dismal it looked early in the year. We all kept that belief.

Shane van Gisbergen told Racer.com.

Gisbergen claimed that he made the perfect career call when he joined NASCAR. The 36-year-old confessed that he was never fond of Supercars in Australia, hating the way those cars drove. On the other hand, the Next-Gen cars have turned out to be a delight for the Kiwi driver, who is glad to be racing in the field.

I feel like I made the best decision ever. I was really hating racing in Australia. I hated driving those cars. Now, I’ve never had so much fun racing, going to the racetrack every single weekend. I really love what I do,

Shane van Gisbergen added.

Shane van Gisbergen makes steady progress at Ovals

While Gisbergen has had an edge on road courses and street circuits, ovals have continued to be a chink in his armor. The Supercars champion has struggled to make it big on speedways and superspeedways. However, things are starting to change with steady improvements from the Trackhouse Racing star.

Shane van Gisbergen (via NASCAR)
Shane van Gisbergen (via NASCAR)

Shane van Gisbergen recalled that at last year’s Southern 500, he was struggling to get up to speed. It seemed like this year’s race would be a repeat with a poor showing in Qualifying. However, Gisbergen managed to turn things around during the race. The 36-year-old pointed out this signaled a rapid increase in his performance on ovals.

When I went back to Darlington this year for the second time, I struggled there in the Southern 500 (in 2024), but in the race this year, I bent the car in practice, so we qualified badly. But in the race, we just got better and better as we went.

Shane van Gisbergen stated.

Certainly, the Trackhouse Racing star has shown that his talent was never just limited to Supercars. Shane van Gisbergen has emerged as a driver-to-watch in the field despite being in the latter half of his career. However, there is still plenty left to prove for Gisbergen to truly be considered a top driver in NASCAR.

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