The 2023 Chicago Street Race was arguably the most groundbreaking debut in the NASCAR Cup Series history. A Kiwi supercars legend stunned the city of Chicago in the track’s first race to take home an unprecedented victory. Shane van Gisbergen had the best start possible to his Cup Series career. However, since then, he has not been able to capture that glory.
The former Supercars driver had one year of oval racing under his belt before 2025. During his Xfinity Series season, Shane van Gisbergen ran 8 oval races with Kaulig Racing. He showcased some of that experience in Atlanta this year, where he ran out in the front until getting caught in a last-lap wreck. Denny Hamlin hailed his rapidly growing NASCAR skill: “He was holding a pretty damn steady line…really getting quite a bit better on ovals quicker than what I was anticipating.” However, it appears that SVG’s path to mastering oval tracks is still left, and the Kiwi driver was found rueing a missed opportunity to exploit Goodyear’s new option tire to the fullest.
Shane van Gisbergen is facing Phoenix blues
Ahead of the season, Goodyear announced that it would try out a softer option tire for the Phoenix spring race in 2025. Short, flat ovals like Phoenix Raceway had come under the microscope of fans who felt that the racing was made drab and dull by the Next-Gen car. In a bid to change this, Goodyear tested out its softer tire for the first time in Richmond and the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro last year. The responses were mixed, but the racing was much better.
At Phoenix Raceway, Shane van Gisbergen qualified 29th and finished Stage 1 in 33rd. But right then, shifting into Goodyear’s softer tires rocketed him up the field. By lap 92, SVG was in 19th. However, even as SVG was beginning to feel the positive impact of Goodyear, he lost all of it on a lap 99 melee caused by Chase Briscoe clipping the side of Justin Haley’s car. A slew of cars made contact with SVG’s No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet: Briscoe’s No. 19 Toyota, Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford, and Todd Gilliland’s No. 34 Ford. So by the end of it, Shane van Gisbergen’s car was a mangled mess.
He reflected on the wreck in an interview with Bob Pockrass: “Just people in the front. I think they were four-wide, they hopped over a wheel, and not much I could do. I tried to pull it up and got a bit loose. It’s a shame. [We were] getting better and better as we went. It felt like the cars were getting better too, so it’s a shame we’re still not out there learning.”
What stung Shane van Gisbergen more was being unable to use Goodyear’s tires for too long. He even called for NASCAR to make the option tire permanent: “I really like the soft tire. They just give you so much more feel. It probably should be the main tire, and they should make a softer one. The cars move around and you have so much pull going on. But yeah, it is what it is. But on the yellow, we kind of struggled a little bit.” Well, SVG, if you make it to the Championship 4, NASCAR might have something for you.
What Shane van Gisbergen said he saw in the big wreck at Phoenix and what he thought of the softer option tire. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/KksvXe8504
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 10, 2025
The entire purpose of the option tire being tested out at Phoenix Raceway as a precursor for the season finale at this track in November. If the feedback is good, NASCAR will probably make this the primary tire at Phoenix. And NASCAR said they felt the feedback was amazing. Mark Keto, NASCAR Goodyear Project Manager, said, “Everything went according to plan at Phoenix, and the Option tire worked very well. It gave teams a chance to vary their strategies as to when to use them and maximize their effectiveness to gain track position over teams that were out on the prime tires.”
The overall mood in the NASCAR Cup garage was affable towards the tires after Phoenix. Shane van Gisbergen was only one of them – and Goodyear was happy.
Counting it as a success
The story began way back in March 2024 when drivers experienced unexpected tire wear at Bristol Motor Speedway. Goodyear set about to replicate that experience but with little fruits at the All-Star Race and the second Bristol race in September. However, the Shriner’s Children 500 was a thumping success in this regard. The option tire, marked by red lettering, helped several drivers regain lost track position. For instance, Joey Logano shot back upward after a restart violation. In the final stage, Austin Cindric, Erik Jones, and Ty Dillon made significant gains on the option.
Justin Haley, driver of No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, also used the tires optimally until encountering the lap 99 crash. He lauded Goodyear: “I wish I would have been on the option tires the whole time and everyone else would have been on the primaries. They just make you feel like superman. I like the tire. I honestly feel like we should go to it everywhere. They make the cars drive a lot better. I don’t know if that’s what you want, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out.”
Zane Smith, driving the #38 Front Row Motorsports Ford, finished ninth in Phoenix, his first top-10 finish of the season! Understandably elated, Smith said, “(The option tires) are a lot of fun and it made it probably the most fun Phoenix race I feel like I have been to.” The increased passing opportunities to go with the decision when to use the option tires made it a spectacular race.
Chris Buescher, #17 of RFK Racing, finished fifth, his first top-5 finish of the season, and he added, “I am still a proponent of a single tire when we come to a weekend, but Goodyear did a great job. That red tire was a lot of fun.” It’s evident that the tire seems to be helping out drivers who might not have the speed with the regular tires, but with more grip and a better strategy, they can fight their way up the track.
Thus, it is understandable why Shane van Gisbergen is lamenting his loss of pace more. However, if Goodyear keeps bringing such softer tires, the Kiwi will probably get better faster than ever.
The post “It’s a Shame”: Shane Van Gisbergen Laments a Major Regret in Phoenix After Failure to Use Goodyear’s Option Tire appeared first on EssentiallySports.
