Shane van Gisbergen’s Xfinity Series season is about to change. The Kiwi will have a new crew chief atop the pit box at Michigan International Speedway when the season resumes after a three-week-long Olympics break. Bruce Schlicker, who has been serving as crew chief for the 35-year-old and his No. 97 Kaulig Racing team during the opening 20 races will be departing with immediate effect and will be replaced by Kevin Walter. But why a sudden redo in the garage?

The circumstances pose a major restructuring process for Kaulig Racing, as Walter was crew chief for Josh Williams and his No. 11 Kaulig Racing team. This means that Eddie Pardue will be coming in as Walter’s replacement while the team prepares for the business end of the Xfinity Series season.

How does that affect Shane van Gisbergen?

Despite the news having potential title ramifications for Shane van Gisbergen, Kaulig Racing has opted not to release a statement, citing that the decision not to do so is “out of respect for Bruce.” The news of Schlicker’s departure from Kaulig Racing is yet to receive the community’s feedback, particularly because Shane van Gisbergen has had a successful season so far.

The Kiwi has already won at Portland, Sonoma, and Chicago Street Course in the Xfinity Series and has five top-five and six top-ten results in 20 races, all with crew chief Bruce Schlicker.

While Shane van Gisbergen’s performances at oval tracks could be improved, he has shown great strides in that regard. The Kaulig Racing driver finished third at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this season and ended up fourth at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway before the Olympics break began. As for Schlicker, he has won 10 Xfinity Series races as a crew chief with four different drivers, but all wins have come while he was working at Kaulig Racing.

With momentum on their side, Shane van Gisbergen and Ben Schlicker were expected to go deep into the Xfinity Series playoffs, and potentially win the trophy before the Kiwi moves to the Cup Series. However, now that Schlicker will be replaced by Kevin Walter, there will be uncertainty about how this might impact the Kiwi’s performance, especially since there are a few races to go before playoffs begin at Kansas Speedway on September 28th.

With NASCAR returning to Michigan International Speedway in the Xfinity Series, it will give us an early indication of how Walter and Shane van Gisbergen’s partnership will play out for the remainder of the season.

However, the Kiwi will take solace in the fact that he’s not the only driver heading into the playoffs with a different crew chief after the Olympics break, as Christopher Bell will be without crew chief Adam Stevens, who was forced to undergo knee surgery and will be sidelined for a few weeks.

Here’s who replaced crew chief Adam Stevens

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It couldn’t have happened at a worse time for Christopher Bell, especially considering that only four races remain in the Cup Series before playoffs start in Atlanta. However, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will have to make do without his crew chief, Adam Stevens, for the next few weeks while he recuperates from multiple knee surgeries. Stevens suffered a double knee injury on a family vacation during the Olympics break and will be forced to work remotely, while Chris Sherwood will take over on-track responsibilities.

Addressing concerns regarding his injury, Adam Stevens said, “I hate that I won’t be at the track for a few weeks, but I will be fully engaged remotely. I am very thankful for the depth and strength of this No. 20 team and don’t anticipate my physical absence having any effect on our performance. The surgery went well, and I will be back at the track in a few weeks.” But the concerning part is whether it will affect C. Bell’s performance adversely.

Just like Shane van Gisbergen, Christopher Bell also has three victories this season, at Phoenix, Charlotte, and New Hampshire. However, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is competing full-time in the Cup Series and is currently eighth in the driver standings. Bell and Stevens have been a very successful partnership, having won nine races and securing 11 poles, with the 29-year-old even making it to the Championship 4 in the last two seasons. So, crew chief Adams’ injury could be a major blow to the No. 20 Toyota team, who will hope for Stevens’ speedy recovery.

Do you think Bruce Schlicker’s departure will impact Shane van Gisbergen’s performances? Let us know in the comments!