Shane van Gisbergen reached a solid 12th place in Martinsville.
Image credit: IMAGO
The three-time Supercars champion is quickly adapting to NASCAR racing culture. The New Zealand driver made a notable entry into the sport by winning his first race at Chicago Streets. Currently, he is competing in his first full season in NASCAR with Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series.
Despite the challenges faced by the Kaulig team in putting competitive cars on the track, Shane van Gisbergen made the most of every opportunity with his clean races. However, this doesn’t mean he refrains from retaliating. Instead, he races against his rivals the same way they race against him, as demonstrated this Saturday in Martinsville. He executed a strong bump-and-run maneuver while fighting for 15th place.
SVG showing off his bump-and-run skills.
After the race, SVG took to social media to express his happiness and satisfaction with his impressive performance. He acknowledged that the race had a tough start for him, as it was his first time racing in Martinsville. However, once he understood his car and the track layout, he was able to make strategic moves and extract the maximum potential from his Chevy No. 97.
“That was one of the most fun races I’ve ever experienced! I had a blast in Martinsville and improved with each stage, except at the start of stage 3, where we encountered a minor issue with the car. Once I figured out how to work around it, we progressed. The end of the race was chaotic, but I had a lot of fun!” wrote Shane van Gisbergen.
SVG is already a happy man, even though the main event of the weekend is still to come. He shared his thoughts on SVG’s performance in a social media post. The part-time driver also praised the young sensation’s impressive win in the Cars Tour and expressed his anticipation for a similar performance from the Cup driver on Sunday.
Saturday: Shane van Gisbergen finishes 12th in his first race at Martinsville. Connor Zilisch wins the CARSTour race in Hickory. Tomorrow, Daniel Suarez, Ross Chastain, and Zane Smith will give it their all in the Cup race. Let’s go!
The team owner has high expectations for his drivers, Shane van Gisbergen and, as they aim to deliver a strong performance on Sunday and potentially secure a win. He also has optimistic hopes for the development driver who is competing for Spire Motorsports.
