3-Time Champion Snubs NASCAR Racing for Reason That May Rub Fans in the Wrong Manner
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3-Time Champion Snubs NASCAR Racing for Reason That May Rub Fans in the Wrong Manner
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USA Today via Reuters
Nov 6, 2022; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain (1) leads a group during the Cup Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Nov 6, 2022; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain (1) leads a group during the Cup Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Earlier this year, the Trackhouse Racing team announced its ambitious Project 91 team. The idea was to rope in top racing stars from different racing disciplines and give them a taste of NASCAR action. Former F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen was the first guinea pig in this project, and it was a roaring success. Now, there could soon be plans to entice other racing stars, but V8 Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen will not be one of them.
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Currently, the newly crowned champion is mulling over his V8 Supercars future. As it turns out, he is not too happy with the quality of racing provided by the Gen3 cars. If he does not want to continue in V8 Supercars, van Gisbergen has no dearth of options. A move to NASCAR made sense because he has a fairly diverse resume. What makes this even better is that the two series field relatively similar cars.
What did Shane van Gisbergen say about NASCAR?
In conversation with fellow champion Scott McLaughlin, he said, “I like the sportscar stuff there and I like the NASCAR road races, but too many ovals. I’m not sure about that. Nah … you want to have a go, but I wouldn’t want to do it 30 times a year and five road races.”
Reiterating his affection towards Supercars, he concluded, “But yeah, I’ve got no other series I aspire to. Like, I’ve always been Supercars; love Supercars.”
Although the racing is similar, Shane van Gisbergen is not fond of racing at ovals. Admittedly, NASCAR isn’t as oval-dominated as it used to be and is beginning to diversify into road courses. However, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series calendar boasts 30 oval tracks out of 36. The only exceptions are five permanent road courses and NASCAR’s first-ever street circuit in Chicago.
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Of course, the New Zealander’s admission would also mean that IndyCar is out of the equation. Though it is worth mentioning that IndyCar caters more toward road courses, with only five oval races. Coming back to V8 Supercars, though, the newly crowned champion hopes to see the new rules lead to better racing.
