SVG: Xfinity Title Hopes "Looking More Promising" After Show of Oval Skills at Darlington
It's the end of August in Shane Van Gisbergen's first year as a full-time NASCAR driver, and already the three-time Australian Supercars champion is beginning to figure things out.
The 35-year-old driver's move from New Zealand to the United States to pursue said full-time career in NASCAR, came with the added pressure of adapting to an entirely new discipline: oval racing.
As could be expected, it has been somewhat of a struggle for Van Gisbergen, who has taken a season to run full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing, before his inevitable move to Trackhouse Racing's NASCAR Cup Series program in 2025.
The road courses haven't been an issue for the native of Auckland, New Zealand, at all, winning at Portland International Raceway and Sonoma Raceway in June, and the Chicago Street Course in July, effectively locking himself into the Playoffs.
Some bright spots have appeared on the ovals, though, including a third at Atlanta (February), a sixth at Phoenix (March), and a fourth at Indianapolis (July). Even though the finishes may not always be present, the speed and experience have progressed rapidly in just six short months.
Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Darlington Raceway was a perfect indicator of that gained experience, as for the first time in 2024, the series returned to a non-drafting racetrack for a second time. Van Gisbergen, using lessons learned from his first trip to the historically difficult venue in May, scored a seventh-place result.
"Certainly felt more comfortable the second time here, especially in the race, you learn how the race develops, where you want to be on restarts, and the experience keeps growing on me," said Van Gisbergen post-race.
Van Gisbergen struggled mightily in Saturday's qualifying session from the 1.366-mile racetrack, posting just the 26th-fastest lap. However, the Kaulig Racing driver made quick work of the drivers back in traffic, climbing well inside the top-15 by the end of the race's first stage.
The top-15 was where Van Gisbergen spent most of his afternoon, recording a career-high 115 laps inside the top-15, and continuing to show more pace as the race progressed further, finishing just outside the top-10 in both stages.
During the final stage of Saturday's event at Darlington, the Xfinity Series rookie continued to climb through the pack, eventually making it inside the top-10 with 27 laps remaining. By the time the overtime-inducing caution was shown, Van Gisbergen had moved into sixth place and was chasing down a top-five.
Was that a product of the three-time Xfinity Series winner saving his stuff? "Nah, I was just driving as fast as I could," Van Gisbergen said. "We struggled taking off and didn't have grip early on, so I guess that traded into long run pace. Then we pumped the tires up, the restart felt really good those last two laps, so whatever [crew chief] Kevin Walter did was a good tune."
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs are approaching quickly, with only three races remaining in the regular season. For Van Gisbergen, solid performances on ovals will be crucial if he hopes to compete for a championship before jetting off to the Cup Series.
"It's certainly looking more promising now," Van Gisbergen said about his championship chances. "It's been a slow and gradual run, I still feel like I'm driving within myself a bit and really conservative, especially at the start of the race. So, once I get more aggressive. Certainly coming here for the second time I felt way more comfortable straight away, so I had a lot of fun."
Now, Van Gisbergen's attention turns to Sunday's gauntlet of an event at Darlington Raceway, the Cook Out Southern 500, where he'll begin a stretch of seven NASCAR Cup Series events in the last 12 weeks of the season -- in addition to his responsibilities in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
So, is there anything from his success on Saturday that can be applied to Sunday?
"I don't know," Van Gisbergen said doubtfully. "The cars are so different. Like, I jumped in that Cup [Series] car and nearly crashed on the first lap, they drive so differently. I was running the bottom in both corners, so yeah, probably won't be doing that tommorrow."
JOSEPH SRIGLEY