Dale Jr. quizzes Shane Van Gisbergen about his NASCAR progress on ovals

During a conversation, NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt Jr. asked Shane van Gisbergen about his progress on oval surfaces. On his podcast, Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt Jr. asked him what he was working on when it came to oval racing, which made sense as this is van Gisbergen's rookie year as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver.

Shane van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing was the first person to win a points-paying NASCAR Cup Series Event in Mexico City -- the Viva Mexico 250. Held at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the race was NASCAR's first points-paying international race since the 1950s and witnessed SVG put on a dominant performance on the road course. SVG's second career Cup series win driving the #88 came after a stressful week for the Kiwi, navigating travel delays and a stomach bug.

SVG started on the pole and led 60 of 100 laps, registering a dominant win of 16.567 seconds over Christopher Bell. This was the largest win margin since 2009. With van Gisbergen's road-course experience in Australian Supercars, he showed why he was able to win in an on-course battle with changing wet/dry conditions.

Shane van Gisbergen discussed his progress on oval tracks with the NASCAR legend and said:

"My biggest thing is far off speed and in practice, especially, you know, I'm going to a lot of these places for the first time in a cup car, get out on track, I'm exploring the place. So, you know, I get up to speed on lap 10 of practice. And by then the tires gone. I get to what lap times they're doing, but I've missed that peak. And then qualifying comes around, I've got to go and find a second and a half, and they've only got to find half a second. I really feel like we've made pretty big gains in qualifying recently." "Everything else I've ever done - you get practice, you get three sets of tires, you get plenty of time, you can just build up. Whereas in NASCAR with these short practices, it's very, very difficult. You know, long practices really helped me to get what I want out of the car and get a feel for it. So these tracks with 10 minutes of practice, man, it's so difficult. That's my Achilles heel, I guess, at the moment," he added.

Shane van Gisbergen is celebrated for his adaptability and proven performance in many motorsport categories. Prior to his arrival, he had a remarkable career within the Supercars Championship, earning three drivers’ titles (2016, 2021, 2022) and notching up 80 wins. SVG made a sensational start to NASCAR when he won his first race at the Chicago Street Course. Since then, he has gone on to impress full-time in the Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing and as a part-time driver in the Xfinity Series.

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Shane van Gisbergen wants to "justify" his NASCAR seat with Trackhouse Racing after Mexico triumph

Shane van Gisbergen’s dominant victory in the Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez not only showcased his road course expertise but also underscored his determination to justify his place in the NASCAR Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing.

"That's why I'm here, to win road races, but I'm not here to run last on the ovals either. I need to keep getting better and to justify being a Cup Series driver, I need to be performing on the ovals, too. So, I feel like we're really making strides," he said post-race.

In the post-race press conference, Shane van Gisbergen was candid about his strengths and areas for growth. He acknowledged that while his background as a three-time Supercars champion makes him a formidable force on road circuits—evidenced by two wins, three top-fives, and six top-tens in just eight Cup road course starts—his results on ovals have been subpar, with no top-tens on intermediates or superspeedways so far.

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Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar