- Shane van Gisbergen says his 2023 Chicago win “changed my life 180 degrees” and called it “the best” of his career
- The Supercars champion described NASCAR’s street race as “dangerous” but praised its high-risk design
- Van Gisbergen now races full-time in Cup and says, “This is the most I’ve enjoyed my racing in a long time”
Shane van Gisbergen arrived in Chicago in July 2023 as an unknown. He left as a NASCAR winner, Cup Series contender, and rising star.
“It doesn’t feel like it’s been two years,” he told ESPN. “But so much has happened since then. Yeah, amazing. We had a really strong car there last year, too, and had the potential to win it again. I’m looking forward to getting back there. Obviously, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for that track. So, it’s a pretty cool and special place.”
Van Gisbergen won the inaugural Chicago street race on July 2, 2023, in his first start behind the wheel of a stock car. Just two months later, Trackhouse Racing signed him to a developmental deal. He moved to the U.S., left behind a three-time Supercars championship career, and went full-time Xfinity racing with 12 Cup starts on the side.
“It changed my life 180 degrees,” Van Gisbergen said.
He remembers the win like it was yesterday, calling it “the best” of his life.
Now, as Chicago prepares for its third NASCAR street race, the event’s future remains unclear. The contract expires after this year, though option years could extend it.
Van Gisbergen praised the layout, which includes 12 turns over 2.2 miles through downtown, but acknowledged its dangers.
“Turn 1 and Turn 5 face each other, so you can’t have runoff,” he said. “It’s dangerous. You’re in the fastest part of the track, and there’s a concrete wall in front of you, and it’s great. It’s so much risk versus reward. I think it’s one of the coolest things, but it’s difficult when you get it wrong. I think for a street track, [NASCAR has] done very well for their first go of it.”
His 2023 victory came under a perfect set of circumstances: wet conditions, a car that suited his style, and a layout similar to what he’d raced before. Still, switching to NASCAR has been a steep curve.
“The weight of the car is very different [heavier],” he explained. “The way the car corners is different. The downforce is over the top instead of underneath, so the way it drives is very low to the ground and stiff, whereas the Supercars were high and rolled around. So, they look similar on paper, but they are way, way different. They are close, but they’re also not.”
He noted that tires and weight are the most dramatic contrasts. When asked if there’s anything from the old Supercar he misses, he didn’t hesitate.
“The current version of the Australian Supercar is a piece of s—,” he said, laughing. “Which is one of the reasons why I left. But the old Supercar was awesome. It was a really cool car. So, I don’t miss the Supercar.”
Now driving the No. 88 Trackhouse Chevrolet, van Gisbergen is embracing the ups and downs of being a full-time Cup rookie.
“I still get excited by that,” he said. “It’s still fun seeing us improve in areas and still lacking in a lot that we have to get better at, too.”
It’s also a humbling adjustment from being a dominant force in Supercars to climbing the ranks in NASCAR.
Before winning in Mexico City last month, he sat 33rd in points. That second career victory locked him into the postseason and reignited his season.
“This is the most I’ve enjoyed my racing in a long time,” Van Gisbergen said. “Every week, it’s a new challenge. It’s not just the same type of track each and every week. Even when you go to 2½-mile racetracks, they’re completely different from each other. So, every week feels refreshing, which is cool, and there is always something to try, and the cars are forever developing.
“It’s pretty cool.”
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