Shane van Gisbergen says Nascar move helped reignite passion for racing

Kiwi motorsport star Shane van Gisbergen says his permanent move to Nascar has helped him rediscover his love for racing.

Van Gisbergen made the permanent move to the United States in 2024, having got the opportunity to compete in a street race in Chicago the year prior, which he won - becoming the first driver in 60 years to win on their debut.

He spent his first campaign between Nascar’s Xfinity Series - the second tier of the sport - before becoming a fulltime Cup driver this year, where he has secured four wins and is already guaranteed to claim the Rookie of the Year prize ahead of the playoffs, which begin this weekend.

Before making the move to Nascar, van Gisbergen had been racing in Australia’s Supercars series for over 15 years, winning three championships and three Bathurst 1000 crowns.

Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s D’Arcy Waldegrave, the 36-year-old said the move has reignited his career behind the wheel, which has seen him “go from hating racing to loving it again”.

“It’s been a great change for me.

“I was struggling last year in Australia, and the timing was perfect to make a move.

“There’s always something happening in a Nascar race. It’s very different to any other racing I’ve done, and I enjoy that unpredictability.

“Every week I’ve got a smile on my face. I can see myself here for a few more years as I’ve enjoyed the change and the new challenge.”

The move to Nascar wasn’t seamless, with most of the races taking place on oval tracks - something the Trackhouse Racing driver has taken time to adjust to.

Nascar has also recently introduced more road and street races, which is where van Gisbergen has excelled, securing wins in Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma and Watkins Glen. His margin of victory in Mexico was almost 17 seconds - the biggest winning margin in any Cup race since 2009.

Overall, van Gisbergen is pleased with the progress he’s made.

“I’ve had a good year,” van Gisbergen said. “I’ve really enjoyed it.

“It was very difficult at first, but we’ve found our stride, we’re improving every week, and it’s been great to make the playoffs and keep building.

“Early in the year we were finishing in the 30s most weeks. We try not to force it, avoid mistakes and not take silly risks, so it seems to be working.”

Van Gisbergen is seeded sixth for the upcoming top-16 playoffs, which begin at Darlington Raceway this weekend.

The playoffs begin with three races on oval tracks, which van Gisbergen has struggled on, but he’s 16 points clear of the cut-off line in the standings with four drivers knocked out after those races.

Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.