The first full season of his NASCAR career is more than halfway over, and Shane van Gisbergen has learned plenty in a short amount of time. Hailing from New Zealand, the Kiwi has dove head first into the world of American stock car racing.
Shane van Gisbergen has two wins in the Xfinity Series. He won at both Portland and Sonoma this season, road courses. The three-time Supercars champion has been learning a lot on ovals this season. He’s also been learning about the dynamics of NASCAR.
Of course, you can’t talk about this season without mentioning SVG’s feud with Austin Hill. The Richard Childress Racing driver has had multiple run-ins with van Gisbergen in 2024.
In an interview with Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, van Gisbergen was asked about Hill, indirectly. Gluck asked who SVG would least like to be in an elevator with, and the obvious answer is Hill.
“Yeah, I can’t think of another one aside from that,” the Trackhouse Racing driver said. “It would probably have to be him. But who knows, we might get to sort some stuff out.”
Talk about an awkward elevator ride. These are two drivers who race up front and they race hard. It will be fun to see them compete against each other as the season continues.
Shane van Gisbergen on adapting to NASCAR culture
As far as the fans and the media reception has gone, Shane van Gisbergen has had a great time in America. While fans complain about how reserved NASCAR drivers are compared to other athletes, SVG believes it is even worse in Australia with Supercars.
Here, as he explained to Jeff Gluck, he can be himself more.
“I’m a pretty shy, reserved person, but I can still have a personality. But in the Australian media the last few years, you get judged so harshly by the media and the fans. You sort of shell up and sometimes get aggressive about it, or you don’t say the right thing or you hold everything in. And you get smashed for it.
“Whereas here, I feel like I can be myself — just say what I think and it comes across the right way. I see that in a lot of personalities here. All the drivers have much more personality. Everyone has personality in Australia, but not outwardly publicly. You’re able to show it here and not get judged so much. People, media and fans seem to appreciate it more here and resonate with it. I’m trying not to overthink it, because I think just being myself is working.
“It’s very interesting. When I watch interviews [of myself] or even know what I was like in Australia, people think I’m a different person. But I’m not [different] to my friends. I’m just showing it to the people now. As I said, I haven’t figured it out. It’s very different here.”
Shane van Gisbergen has been racing professionally since he was a teenager. He knows a lot about being a pro athlete. It’s nice to hear him say he’s more comfortable in NASCAR than he was in his previous series. Maybe the sport isn’t as bland as fans make it seem at times.
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