Every road course driver has a unique set of skills that makes them excel, but Shane van Gisbergen has all of those skills. The 3x Supercars Champion made history in the Cup Series back in 2023 when he won the inaugural Chicago Street Race. That remains a moment etched in the history of NASCAR, but since then, SVG has yet another win at Chicago in the Xfinity Series, where he outdueled Kyle Larson for the win!
That’s no easy task right there. Larson himself is an elite road course driver and one of the most versatile on the grid. So when the two of them met in NASCAR’s second tier in 2024, when Larson was pulling double-duty and SVG was a Xfinity rookie, it was a world-class display of elite skill that thrilled the fans at Grant Park. And ahead of the third Cup Series iteration of the race, SVG spoke about his wild ride against Kyle Larson.
Shane van Gisbergen addresses his faceoff with Larson in Chicago
Well, Trackhouse Racing’s SVG will be pulling double duty this week, and one can understand why. Firstly, he’s already locked himself into the Cup Series playoffs after that win in Mexico City, so even if the Xfinity car disrupts his handling of the Cup car, SVG can rest easy knowing he’s locked in. Secondly, SVG has a Chicago Xfinity title to defend.
The Kiwi driver reminisced about last year’s Chicago race in the Xfinity Series while chatting with former crew chief turned broadcaster Steve Letarte. Speaking about the experience, he said, “I had a really awesome race there last year. Um, Kaulig gave me a great car, and Kyle Larson and I fought it out for the win, and we’re giving each other the thumbs up and stuff. And, those cars are really raceable around a track like that. So yeah, there’s some good guys in that Xfinity series now.”
In his lone rookie season in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing, SVG had three wins, all at the road courses of Chicago, Sonoma, and Portland. His Chicago win was easily the most entertaining of the lot, as he danced back and forth with Kyle Larson to a point where he even put his hand out of the window and gave him a thumbs up for the respectful yet tough display of racing. It was not your usual beating and banging moves; it was pure skill.
Shane van Gisbergen gives Kyle Larson a thumbs up pic.twitter.com/uYCP8ZEn82
— Skewcar (@Skewcar) July 6, 2024
The mutual admiration was pretty clear mid-race and post-race as well. Kyle Larson had said on his radio, “He’s just messing with me. He could drive off at every time.” This speaks volumes about how composed Larson felt SVG was, that he gave him the perception of battling just for fun. Post the race, Larson claimed about “having a blast” by finishing third.
About SVG, The Hendrick Motorsports #5 had said, “My car seemed to be a little bit better than his for maybe a lap or two, which helped me get by him and then able to protect and stuff. But he was so much better than me. He was just being patient and playing with me, I think. But it was good fun and probably made for great TV. And yeah, the whole race was really exciting, I thought.” The healthy competition between both will certainly be a treat to watch once again on Sunday. Shane van Gisbergen will be gearing up to have a busy weekend in Chicago with both his cars.
SVG remains the favorite for Chicago despite challenges
After smoking the rest of the field by 16 seconds at Mexico City last month, Shane van Gisbergen is the unanimous favorite heading to Chicago this weekend. However, the road to victory is not going to be easy. SVG acknowledged the threat that turns one and six hold. The consequences can be high if one doesn’t practice patience at those corners, as the runoff is practically negligible there.
Another noteworthy aspect is how he will have to practice adapting to two contrasting cars in the two races. While his Cup Series Next-Gen car, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, has seen victory lane, switching back to a Cup car after driving an Xfinity car on Saturday is not going to be as smooth as one would imagine. The Xfinity car is incredibly different, and Christopher Bell felt the effects of this at Mexico City when he pulled double duty and ended up qualifying 31st for the Cup race right after driving the Xfinity car.
The next challenge is not for SVG as such, but probably for his spotter. This is because he and his Xfinity teammate, Connor Zilisch, will have similar color schemes on their cars. However, SVG was not so worried about this: “It’ll be really cool. And Connor and I have got sort of matching WeatherTech and Red Bull schemes with, you know, reverse colors, and should be pretty cool to represent those guys. And I’m looking forward to that race.”
Despite all of this, one thing’s for sure: the fans are going to get top-class entertainment from the two-time Chicago winner. The way it has been so far, nobody knows the Chicago Street Course better than him, and he will be ready to prove that once again. Do you think SVG can complete a weekend sweep in Chicago? Let us know in the comments!
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