Two years ago at this time, a Kiwi speedster took the NASCAR world by storm. Shane van Gisbergen beat seasoned Cup Series drivers on his debut, winning a rain-delayed Chicago Street Race. What he showcased was elite road racing skills, which stock car racers of NASCAR were not so adept at. But with road courses proliferating as NASCAR visited Chicago again last year, where SVG could not muster a win, it shows that Cup Series racers are better prepared.

Hence, Shane van Gisbergen’s Supercars successor, Will Brown, is in a sticky situation. He succeeded SVG in the Triple Eight team in Australia. But it remains to be seen if Brown can follow SVG’s footsteps into NASCAR, as the road is not a bed of roses.

Times have changed since Shane van Gisbergen’s glory

Well, it is not like Will Brown has very slim chances. The Supercars star is a street circuit winner in Townsville (2023) and Adelaide (2024), with his last-to-first Adelaide victory one of the greatest drives in modern Supercars history. What is more? Brown drove the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro at Sonoma Raceway last year, showing good speed in his run.

An unfortunate technical snag threw a wrench in his efforts, and Brown washed up in a deplorable 31st place. This year, Brown is heading to NASCAR with loads of preparation. However, his predecessor, Shane van Gisbergen, is not so confident. That is because Cup Series racers have become adept in Chicago, and that showed in 2024. NASCAR will visit the 2.2-mile, 12-turn course for the third time this year, and in two years, people have picked up Shane van Gisbergen’s road course racing skills. Most notably, Chris Buescher is one of them, as he beat SVG at Watkins Glen in 2024. Then, Alex Bowman won the 2024 Chicago Street Race.

So SVG detailed his apprehensions in an interview with Steve Letarte: “It’s going to be hard, you know, it’s not everyone’s first time there anymore. It’s only a short practice. So it’s going to be difficult for him. But if he could maybe get into the top ten on speed in qualifying, that would be an excellent result. Then the racing, he’ll see what it’s all about. But he’s a very good, capable driver. So he could surprise a few people. But you just never know, the series is so competitive and everyone’s so good. It ain’t gonna be easy for him, but he’s a quality driver, so could spring a result.”

With road course aces like Michael McDowell and AJ Allmendinger fighting for a spot in the playoffs, this race is not going to be easy by any means for Will Brown. Add to that the pressure of going up against his longtime rival SVG will certainly play a part, as they both know each other quite well and will be wary of any strategies on track. Especially since SVG has been the one giving strategic calls to Will Brown in the past!

Shane van Gisbergen took the role of spotter for Will Brown on his Sonoma debut last year. This year, however, he will not be able to help him, as SVG continued, “I actually spotted for him when he raced Sonoma last year. I was trying to help him a bit, but this year, there’s no help because we’re competitors.” Yet SVG has faith in Brown’s capacity, especially since he will wheel the No. 13 Camaro under Kaulig Racing. SVG won three Xfinity races in Kaulig’s cars in 2024, so he said, “I know that Kaulig can put a really good car together. Even though it’ll be a third extra car there, the car will still be capable of a great result.”

With Shane van Gisbergen’s blessings, Will Brown may do well in his NASCAR effort. What is more? He has more help from his industry’s veterans.

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Brown has taken down all the notes

To succeed in a rival series, you need to be studious. That is what Will Brown is striving to be after falling to 31st in Sonoma last year. Maneuvering the 12-turn course that winds through the downtown streets in Chicago is something natural for Supercar drivers, as it falls in place with their well-carved braking technique. Nevertheless, Brown is cautious of the pitfalls.

He fears intricacies such as the differences on pit road, which can count against him. Brown outlined his apprehension: “The big thing for me is to not get a penalty on pit road. For me, we press a button that limits us to 40km/h and the crew do not run out in front of the car.” Yet Will Brown can count on the advice of some veterans. Former Triple Eight boss Roland Dane is one of them and has been the secret behind a key technique change.

Brown reflected on Dane’s advice: “I was 18 in the Dunlop Series and was left-foot braking then, and he (Roland Dane) sort of recognized me. He said he would not sign me unless I right-foot braked. There has only been one person who was quite successful left foot braking, and that was Fabian Coulthard. Shane does an amazing job at what he does, modulating the clutch, but pretty much everyone is a right-foot braker. I have looked at a lot of footage from Chicago last year, and when they (NASCAR drivers) go for the down change, you can hear the rears chattering. Hopefully, you can use the clutch to modulate that and allow you to have more stability into the corner and better tire life.”

Clearly, Will Brown is leaving no stone unturned for his NASCAR comeback. Although Shane van Gisbergen is cautious, let us wait and see how his Supercars counterpart performs.