Kiwi can be removed from New Zealand, but New Zealand cannot be removed from a Kiwi. Shane van Gisbergen signed a rugby ball and punted it to the fans in Portland after winning his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race. Wearing a black driver’s outfit and driving his #97 Chevrolet with black livery, it was too coincidental that the colors matched New Zealand’s famous ‘All Black’ rugby squad.
The man from Auckland drove an exceptionally good race at Portland International Raceway. While Shane van Gisbergen may consider road course racing his bread and butter, NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick wants him to take a step down in the Truck Series to prove his dominance.
Having entered NASCAR last year at the 2023 Chicago Street Race, Shane van Gisbergen shocked the community by qualifying third fastest and winning his debut NASCAR Cup Series race. If that wasn’t all, he went on to bag Kaulig Racing’s maiden win of the 2024 season so far at the Portland International Raceway. Van Gisbergen’s journey to NASCAR has been an eventful one, winning the Supercars championship three times, which is where he earned his reputation as a dominant road course driver.
On Episode 31 of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour Podcast, Harvick joined co-hosts Mamba Smith and Kaitlyn Vincie to discuss whether Shane van Gisbergen should take a step down into the NASCAR Truck Series. Where Mamba Smith said, “Here’s the thing about SVG, he won a cup race already, and he’s got an Xfinity Series race now. Andy Lally made a tweet saying that they should just put him in The Truck Series’ next road course race so he can be the quickest person to winning all three series,” Kevin Harvick was quick to reply either.
He said, “If you put him in a truck on a road course, he’s gonna win. If he doesn’t win the first one he probably will win the second one. I think that’s a great idea.”
Shane van Gisbergen’s must have almost backfired at the Pacific Office Automation 147 when he dominated the race in Stage 1 but he decided to pit before the end of the stage to maintain track position in Stage 2. The strategy didn’t work out, and Van Gisbergen spent most of Stage 2 playing catch-up. With four laps to go, on the final restart of the race, he finally got his chance and managed to overtake Justin Allgaier to take his second NASCAR win.
Not only did Van Gisbergen manage to recover from self-inflicted mistakes, but he drove with the aggressiveness of a rookie while showing the temperament of a veteran. Keeping Justin Allgaier at bay, who dominated the race for long stretches, only to lose out in the end, SVG had once again stolen the show. Many had expected him to be a contender, but most doubted he had the experience to pull off a win.
It’s no secret that Van Gisbergen’s potential in NASCAR has been met with skepticism by some fans. Those doubts should have been dispelled when the Kiwi won his debut Cup Series race in Chicago. In the following race on the Indy Race Course, he finished 10th. However, the doubts remained. And now, have won the Portland road race as his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory.
Van Gisbergen was just two turns away from winning the Xfinity Series race at COTA, but the critics remained vocal. Perhaps with a win in all three NASCAR series, the Kiwi can prove once and for all that he is more than just a driver who somehow managed to conquer the internet with his debut win last year. He has proven that his goal in competing in NASCAR is simple: to win.
Do you think Shane van Gisbergen should race in the Truck Series? Let us know in the comments!
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