Last weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was probably one of the most easy-going Cup Series races that NASCAR fans had ever seen. With just a handful of cautious and almost no contact between the cars, this race did not provide enough stories for the reporters. However, they got something else to talk about and that is probably the number one trending topic on NASCAR news.

Yes, it is Shane Van Gisbergen. After seeing his confident demeanor about his debut race at an oval during the post-race interview at Indianapolis Raceway Park, the fans probably expected him to finish anywhere between one to five in rankings on the road course at Cup. Moreover, the two-time Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr also had high hopes for this Kiwi icon turned NASCAR sensation.

Dale Earnhardt Junior is not elated with SVG’s top-10 finish

Earlier in his podcast, he talked about the efforts that Trackhouse Racing Team is putting into their Project 91, to bring Shane Van Gisbergen over to NASCAR. And given his experience in road courses, his team probably expected him to go for the win in Indianapolis. So, even a top-5 would be disappointing, said the JR Motorsports owner.

However, when Mike Davis asked Dale Jr what the latter thought about SVG’s weekend, Junior said that it was successful. However, he also thought that he could have done better if there had been more cautions. More cautions mean more restarts. And more restarts give you better chances to improve your position in the race. But unfortunately, SVG kept racing the same people all along the race.

Junior said, “I think the lack of yellows prevented him from getting the result that he probably deserved. I am disappointed with 10th, I think he probably is too, I think the team probably is too because they know they were better than that. He raced with Christopher Bell all day and that was the way that race played out.”

He continued, “Had a yellow come out or maybe one or two yellows came out on that final stage, SVG gets the opportunity to better his position and get that result that he should have got.”

Watch This Story: One Year Before Making $150 Million NASCAR Decision, Michael Jordan Turned Down Dale Earnhardt Jr

Although Dale Jr thought that SVG could have done better considering the reputation and experience he had in road courses, he admitted that it was not entirely his fault.

The Kiwi icon reiterated Dale Earnhardt Jr’s statement during the post-race interview

Trending

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Stepmother Follows Through on the Grudge, With His Legacy Also Hanging in the Balance

May 16, 2024 04:49 AM EDT

Chase Elliott Skeptical of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Revival of NASCAR’s “Lost Relic” After Years of Deliberation

May 18, 2024 07:11 PM EDT

Rick Hendrick & Co.’s Partnership with Tarnished Sponsor Triggers Bitter Outburst- “F*CK Liberty”

May 17, 2024 04:29 PM EDT

Chase Elliott Refuses to See Eye to Eye With Dale Jr’s NASCAR Vision With 9-Words

May 18, 2024 06:25 PM EDT

Rick Hendrick Lending a Helping Hand to Stewart-Haas Racing Amid Dire Times Leaves Insider Infuriated

May 19, 2024 06:50 AM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest NASCAR stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

We have seldom seen Shane Van Gisbergen grumpy. He is the kind of man who will not win and will probably still go back home with a good experience and valuable takeaways. After the race, a NASCAR reporter walked up to him and asked how his experience driving at Brickyard.

Shane Van Gisbergen said with his usual smile on his face, “Good and Bad. We had a couple of errors myself and in the pits and lost a bit, but what an awesome day for Project 91.” Does this man ever have a rough day?

He went on to thank his team and his sponsors, saying, “Had some awesome battles with Chris [Buescher] and Kyle [Larson] there. It’s all the guys I was racing in Chicago up the front, but this time it was for eighth ninth, and tenth but yeah, I had a blast again.”

But it seemed like even Gisbergen had felt the need for a yellow flag. Although he did not have a lot of practice, he felt like he probably could have steered forth if he had gotten the chance to make a restart.

He admitted, “I was learning for the first half of the race and then I got in a good rhythm but it sort of just stuck around guys who were at the same pace.”

“Don’t Have a Billion Dollar Company” – Under Pressure of Losing SVG, Trackhouse Owner Exposes NASCAR’s “Funny Business”