Shane van Gisbergen has come a long way from his native turf in New Zealand. The Kiwi driver already had 80 wins in Supercars and three championships under his belt before his NASCAR debut last year. Hence, his talent and experience combined to produce the sweetest result possible. Van Gisbergen won his Cup Series debut race in July last year, stunning racing enthusiasts globally.

Despite being a natural-born super driver, van Gisbergen had to cross a number of hurdles in the USA. Rules in car racing differ across countries and continents and he had to rely on his NASCAR friends to teach him the American way of racing.

Shane van Gisbergen acknowledges the help of good friends 

When you are flying all the way to the opposite side of the world, culture shock is inevitable. But things are often made easier by the guidance and warmth of generous people used to the ways of the new land. In an episode of ‘Stacking Pennies with Corey Lajoie’, Shane van Gisbergen talked about fellow racers who extended a helping hand to him.

At first, he mentioned 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick. “Kevin Harvick’s been great so far. Just lots of little basic stuff that I’ve never thought about.” According to the racer, his crew chief Bruce Schlicker also helped him with the nitty-gritty and rudimentary knowledge about the sport. “…like coming down Pit Road, and what to look for. You know, the rules about driving through pit boxes and stuff I don’t really know,” van Gisenberg explained.

He also placed special emphasis on Marcos Ambrose, another international driver who had successfully adapted to NASCAR 15 years ago. “A few months ago, he sent me like a whole list of things. Just for what I should be used to, and how to fit in, how to sit, and relax in the car rather than fighting it. Just lots of little things.”

Marcos Ambrose hails from Australia where he won two Supercars championships. Across 227 Cup Series races, he swerved to Victory Lane twice.

On the other hand, Shane van Gisbergen was added to the clientele list of Kevin Harvick Incorporated Management after his stupendous victory last year. He has a full-blown schedule including all three NASCAR series this year under Trackhouse Racing and Kaulig Racing. Van Gisbergen’s quick rise in American racing comes as no surprise either.

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Shane Van Gisbergen trumps other drivers with his glory

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Exceptionally talented drivers are not easy to come by and Shane van Gisbergen proved that he was one of them, when he picked up a Cup victory at his very first NASCAR race in Chicago. Other drivers have also tried to jump into stock cars but did not fare so well. For instance, Dario Franchitti’s Cup career fizzled out after two bad seasons. Juan Pablo Montoya and Sam Hornish Jr. could not produce the same magic in stock cars as they had done in open-wheel racing.

Van Gisbergen discovered his interest in NASCAR when he saw Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen drive for Trackhouse Racing and the rest is history. Tending to a jampacked routine at Daytona and appearing in both ARCA Menards and Xfinity races, van Gisbergen sure has a lot to look forward to. He also has seven Cup Series races fixed in his schedule, making things even exciting for fans of the New Zealander.

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