Shane Van Gisbergen showcased remarkable dominance in his NASCAR performance, drawing comparisons to basketball legend Michael Jordan for his exceptional road course skills. Throughout the race, Van Gisbergen maintained control and displayed a level of driving that no competitor could consistently challenge.
His only close rival, Briscoe, admitted that the only chance he had to compete was during the Safety Car restarts, moments Van Gisbergen managed to command effortlessly.
Competitors Struggle to Keep Up with Van Gisbergen’s Pace
Chase Elliott was one of the few drivers who attempted to disrupt Van Gisbergen’s stronghold by taking a strategic gamble on tire choice during the race’s closing stages. However, his efforts were hampered by a misstep off the track that made his fight for a podium finish against Christopher Bell more difficult.
Elliott reflected on the challenges, noting uncertainty about the track conditions and the reasons for a decline in his performance during the final runs. Despite the setbacks, he praised his crew chief, Alan Gustafson, for an aggressive strategy that kept them competitive.
“I was obviously pushing really hard. I just got sliding and ran out of road, but I don’t know that it would have been enough anyways, to be honest,”
said Elliott.
“I wasn’t nearly as good that run than the run before. I’m not really sure why that was, but the call by Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) was great… I wish I could have made it happen there. I was trying, but I just couldn’t get going like we needed to there at the end.”
—Chase Elliott, NASCAR driver
He also commented on the team’s overall performance:
“I thought we were really solid. We probably needed a little bit more to get Shane and Chase.”
—Chase Elliott, NASCAR driver
Briscoe’s Respect for Van Gisbergen’s Dominance
Briscoe expressed satisfaction with his own efforts but acknowledged Van Gisbergen’s unsurpassed control of the race, admitting it was difficult to compete at his pace. He described his vehicle as strong, yet even when closing in, Van Gisbergen would recover and pull ahead again.
“The only opportunity I had was on the restarts,”
Briscoe noted, indicating the limited windows he had to challenge the leader.
“I thought there was one restart I was maybe going to get clear of him, but truthfully even if I cleared him, he was probably going to pass me back by the end of the lap,”
he said.
Briscoe added that although the racetrack traditionally did not favor him, he was pleased with his overall performance, finishing second and continuously competing well throughout the day.
“Yeah, proud of the effort. We were a second-place car all day and obviously ended up second with it. Yeah, I honestly don’t know what more I need,”
Briscoe remarked.
He further emphasized the challenge Van Gisbergen presented:
“I feel like every time I would run down Shane he would just pick up the pace himself and start driving back away.”
The intense on-track battles involved frequent slipping and sliding, which Briscoe found exhilarating.
“But yeah, it was fun. We were slipping and sliding around all over the place. It’s fun when you can do that in these types of race cars. It was a really fun day behind the wheel.”
—Briscoe, NASCAR driver
The Road Ahead for NASCAR Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series continues with the next race scheduled at Dover on Monday, July 21 (AEST). Fans and competitors alike will look to see if Van Gisbergen can maintain his remarkable form or if challengers like Elliott and Briscoe can close the gap. His recent victory also ended an extraordinary 4,991-day drought for NASCAR wins, marking a significant milestone in the sport.
Van Gisbergen’s dominating presence has undoubtedly raised the level of competition in the series, inspiring drivers and teams to push harder as the season progresses.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. What happened to Shane van Gisbergen, Adelaide?
A. Sadly, Van Gisbergen’s last races didn’t turn out to be the storybook conclusion people hoped for. On Saturday’s first lap, he hit Will Brown’s car, which had already crashed at Turn 4. Then, on Sunday, he had braking problems that stopped him from completing the race.
Q. Is Shane van Gisbergen still with Jessica Dane?
A. Shane van Gisbergen is dating Jessica Dane. They revealed their relationship to the public in 2022, though it started sooner. Jessica’s father, Roland Dane, founded Triple Eight Race Engineering, a well-known name in Australian motorsport.
Q. Is Shane van Gisbergen an American citizen?
A. Shane Robert van Gisbergen, often called SVG, is a racing driver from New Zealand. He was born on May 9, 1989.