The results of the Chicago Street Race have been the talk of the town. With Shane van Gisbergen deciding to turn up in the #91 for Trackhouse Racing Team, the community was quite excited to see what the 3-time Supercars champion had up his sleeve. Living up to his reputation, he didn’t disappoint.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Becoming the first driver to win a race in his debut appearance since 1963 is truly a marvelous achievement. But at the same time, Gisbergen’s win has raised some eyebrows over the level of competition that a Cup Series race can provide. With him being primarily a driver in the Supercars championship, there is certainly a good amount of differences in his approach toward a Next Gen car. Dale Earnhardt Jr discusses the same in the latest episode of his podcast, The Dale Jr. Download.
Dale Earnhardt Jr says Gisbergen won’t have it easy on a familiar track in the Cup Series
The weekend in Chicago gave everyone some points to ponder upon. Most of the drivers were quick to express their discomfort in adapting to a rather unknown venue. Despite their efforts, there is no denying that racing on a relatively unfamiliar track can bring some undesirable outcomes. Dale Jr shed light on the fact that Gisbergen got the better of everyone capitalizing on the same factor. He added,
Emphasizing what the result of the race would be had it happened on a track that regularly features on the Cup Series schedule, Junior added,
The two-time Xfinity champion’s words in no way undermine the skills of SVG as a race car driver. Instead, he focuses on highlighting the difficulty in challenging the Cup drivers on venues that they have been racing in all their careers. A reasonable argument indeed.
Junior says the difference in schedule could help a NASCAR driver in a Supercars race
Over the years, NASCAR has been generous in giving out opportunities to stars from different leagues of racing. Barring Shane, former F1 champions like Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button, former Le Mans winner Kamui Kobayashi, and many others have tried their hands in NASCAR. But rarely has anyone had an impact similar to what Gisbergen had at Chicago. Despite that, Dale Earnhardt Jr says that there are specific reasons for Shane’s success on Sunday. Starting off with the views of Australian racing legend, Paul Morris for the race, he said,
Who is #NASCARChicago star Shane van Gisbergen? He’s the back-to-back defending Supercars champion with 80 wins to his name, and now a Cup Series winner. 🎥 : @supercars
Morris’ thoughts reflect upon some of the difficulties a driver transitioning from NASCAR to Supercars could possibly face. Although Junior agrees with Paul to some extent, he expressed his opinion on what could be the X-factor for a Cup driver in the Australian circuits.
It is hard to choose a side since both schools of thought come from two very experienced drivers. Morris is the only driver alongside Gisbergen to be victorious at all three major races at the famous Mount Panorama, winning the Bathurst 1000, Bathurst 12 hours, and Bathurst 6 hours.