NASCAR fans, spectators, and the ones in the booth, actually had high hopes for the renowned Kiwi racer Shane van Gisbergen to do good at COTA, the Cup Series’ first road course race in 2024. Despite his full-time gig in Xfinity making him ineligible for stage points, anticipation was high with regard to the owner’s championship. However, it seems the Kaulig Racing driver is facing a bit of a challenge, with his car handling. Apparently, his car isn’t quite keeping pace with his talent. And SVG didn’t hold back, voicing his frustrations over the team radio.

Shane van Gisbergen’s Cup car wasn’t doing justice to his skills

Shane van Gisbergen shared with his crew members that he’s having a tough time with the car’s rear—lacking both drive and grip compared to the other drivers he is fighting with, with for P13. He pointed out that while the car’s front end is performing well, the back just isn’t up to snuff.

Over the radio, he mentioned, “I have nothing compared to these guys on the start.” Although the car started to feel more balanced as the stage progressed, by then he’d already lost valuable ground. By lap 12, the #16 driver managed to overtake Daniel Suarez for 10th place. Yet, it’s clear he was aiming for much more.

Just like Kyle Larson was wrestling with his Xfinity car, Shane van Gisbergen was having his own tussle with the next-gen Cup car. In the Cup race, Van Gisbergen kicked off from 12th and maintained 13th for the first few laps, then made a slick move on Chase Elliott at turn 1 while Byron was out front leading the pack. The #97 managed to slip past Trackhouse’s Daniel Suarez and headed to the pits on lap 13.

Kicking off Stage 2 in 14th, he stayed within the top twelve for a bit. But after fighting his way through the pack, he hit a snag by losing first gear, making it tough to keep pace. The hiccup led to Van Gisbergen’s first major setback when he got busted for speeding in the pit lane, tumbling down to 29th while Denny Hamlin snagged the win in Stage 2. The Kiwi decided to stretch his run all the way to just 18 laps shy of the finish, catapulting to second behind Martin Truex Jr.

For the final stretch, SVG found himself back in 22nd, trailing Hamlin and a whole 26 seconds behind the leader, Byron. Van Gisbergen did what he could to get his car across the finish line in the 21st, just ahead of John Hunter Nemechek. Shane van Gisbergen acknowledged the same opening up in his post-race interview about the rough day he and his team faced.

#97 admitted that landing in 21st place was due to not being able to clear all the hurdles they faced

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It was a long day for #97 and his crew, not managing a top-10 finish even though he’s known as one of the top road course racers in NASCAR. However, he didn’t miss the chance to give a shoutout to his team for their tireless effort.

“Tough day for our WeatherTech team. We battled some issues all day and could just never overcome everything. I appreciate all the hard work from everyone at Kaulig and Trackhouse. We will try again at Talladega in a few weeks.”

Richard Childress’s Hot-Head Spares Rookie Shane Van Gisbergen After COTA Scuffle Costs Him a Win

SVG is gearing up to hit the NASCAR Cup Series again at Talladega Superspeedway on April 21. Watching him take on a superspeedway will definitely be something to look forward to.