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New York Times
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
How Shane van Gisbergen has quickly become NASCAR's best road racer
CHICAGO — In the two short years since New Zealand's Shane van Gisbergen burst onto the NASCAR scene with a stunning victory in his debut, the questions around stock car racing have shifted from 'Who is this guy?' to 'Is he NASCAR's best road racer ever?' Both questions are valid, given how quickly and decisively the driver known by his initials has established himself as the one to beat on non-ovals — especially in a parity-filled era for the NASCAR Cup Series in which every car has the same basic construction and parts. Advertisement 'Has there been someone with this big of an advantage on road courses …? I don't think so,' three-time Daytona winner Denny Hamlin said on his 'Actions Detrimental' podcast on Monday. 'You certainly would think SVG, relative to the field, has got a bigger gap than anybody in history.' To Hamlin's point: The analytics service NASCAR Insights noted this week van Gisbergen's average running position on road and street courses this season is 3.34 — and the next closest is 10.09 (Christopher Bell). Similarly, van Gisbergen won the pole position at Chicago last week by 0.47 seconds — a gap so significant, it was larger than the margin from second to eighth on the starting grid. He then won the race and is the heavy favorite again this Sunday when NASCAR visits another road course in Sonoma, Calif. So how the heck is he doing this in an era of equal cars and the most talented overall group of road racers NASCAR has seen? Let's take a look at some of the key factors. NASCAR drivers are traditionally from an oval-racing background, which requires a much different skill set. In the broadest terms, oval racing is about putting a car right on the edge of spinning out while floating it through the corner and competing in close proximity to other drivers. Road-course racing is much more about hard-charging precision as the field gets spread out, which can feel more about racing against the track than the other drivers at times. That has always opened the door for 'road-course ringers' to enter NASCAR non-oval races and have a good showing, but few have ever adapted as quickly as van Gisbergen. Former Indianapolis 500 winner and seven-time Formula One race winner Juan Pablo Montoya, for example, came to NASCAR to compete full-time in the Cup Series for seven seasons and won two of his 14 road-course starts (14 percent); van Gisbergen's win rate on those tracks is currently at 33 percent (three of nine), which has already made him the winningest foreign-born driver in NASCAR history. Advertisement Similarly, other open-wheel drivers like Montoya have been very respectable but not remarkable. In recent years, former F1 world champions Kimi Räikkönen and Jenson Button have made Cup starts on road courses; in five combined starts, they have a best finish of 18th (Button at Austin's Circuit of the Americas in 2023). What gives van Gisbergen an edge, even over an F1 or IndyCar driver who enters a NASCAR road race, may be his background in Australia's Supercars series. While those vehicles are touring cars and not stock cars, they are somewhat cousins of NASCAR's current model Cup Series car (the 'Next Gen' or 'Gen 7' car). Last year, van Gisbergen told The Athletic that while the Next Gen car is 'way different' than a Supercar, 'it's still more relevant than most of the stock cars here,' which he said 'drive like a forklift, where the rear end is doing the steering.' Except that type of driving is exactly what longtime NASCAR drivers are used to and more comfortable with — as opposed to the four-year-old Next Gen car, which shares characteristics with an IMSA sports car designed for road racing. 'The Cup car (now) is relative to pretty much every other race car in the world,' van Gisbergen said. 'It just feels like a normal car. You're like, 'OK, I can push on and be comfortable with this, get a feel.'' When van Gisbergen won the inaugural NASCAR Chicago Street Course race in 2023 in what was supposed to be a one-off start, the shocking victory captured the world's attention. Over in Europe, van Gisbergen's friend and sim racing teammate Max Verstappen — the four-time Formula One world champion — was up late watching and was 'literally screaming in front of my monitor for him to win that,' according to The Race. Verstappen called van Gisbergen 'a crazy right-foot braker,' a reference to the so-called 'heel-toe' footwork technique in which a driver uses the same foot to both hit the gas (on the far right, as in a street car) and the brake. But most race car drivers use their left foot to brake instead of placing it on the clutch pedal to help brake into the corners, as van Gisbergen and his Supercars colleagues in Australia do. Advertisement 'It's quite insane that he's that fast with that technique,' Verstappen said. '… I mean, I can't do it. But he grew up like that.' Essentially, using heel-toe helps the car slow and turn more efficiently on a road course. After van Gisbergen's 2023 victory, former NASCAR and open-wheel racer Max Papis posted on X that 'NO (left foot) braker will ever be able to control rear stability on hot (tires) or slick damp track better than (right foot) plus clutch usage.' Take a look at @shanevg97's footwork racing around the #NASCARChicago street course. Van Gisbergen is a three-time @supercars champion. 🏆 — NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 1, 2023 Since then, NASCAR drivers have considered trying the heel-toe technique after van Gisbergen showed its effectiveness, but none have implemented it due to what is believed to be a steep learning curve. 'Everybody is just like, 'Well, just learn what he does. Do what he does,'' 2023 NASCAR champion Ryan Blaney said last month on the 'Door Bumper Clear' podcast. 'I'm like, 'It would take me 10 years to get halfway to what Shane can do with right-foot (braking). I might be done racing by the time I figure that out halfway of how good he is.' Still, it's unlikely heel-toe accounts for all of van Gisbergen's road-racing speed, and it's a bit of a cop-out to suggest that's the reason he's so good. In reality, van Gisbergen happens to just be an exceptionally adaptable driver, as evidenced by his ability to switch sides of the car and shift with different hands. After all, Supercars drivers sit on the right side of the car and shift with their left hand, the opposite of NASCAR cars. All of that said, van Gisbergen poses no threat for the NASCAR championship — nor will he be winning a race on an oval anytime soon. His average finish is outside the top 25 on every type of NASCAR oval (superspeedway, intermediate and short track). And before winning on the Mexico City road course last month, van Gisbergen's rookie season was off to a rough start; he was 33rd in the point standings in a series with 36 full-time drivers. That underscores how difficult it is, even for someone of the 36-year-old van Gisbergen's talent level, to compete with NASCAR's best on the type of tracks most have driven since childhood. Aside from some dirt oval races, van Gisbergen had no pavement oval experience until Aug. 2023. Advertisement So why would his team, Trackhouse Racing, hire a full-time driver who currently can only win on one type of circuit? Because of NASCAR's playoff structure. NASCAR has a 'win and in' championship system, where any driver with a victory in the first 26 races (the 'regular season') will qualify for the 16-driver field to compete for the Cup Series title. So even though van Gisbergen was 33rd before Mexico, he immediately leaped half of the drivers in the standings to lock himself into the playoffs. And while van Gisbergen won't win the title (there are nine ovals in the 10-race playoffs), NASCAR's franchise-like 'charter' payouts are determined by their average finish in the standings over a three-year period. So by qualifying into the playoffs, van Gisbergen essentially paid for Trackhouse's investment in him — and he appears poised to be an annual playoff participant as long as the system remains the same. At the same time, his road-course success is buying patience with Trackhouse for his oval development. Indeed, van Gisbergen has shown progress while getting three top-20 finishes in his last five oval starts after starting the season with only one top-20 in his first 10 ovals. 'We wouldn't be doing this if we thought we could go win road courses and know we're not going to run that good on the ovals because he's never done it before,' Trackhouse owner Justin Marks said. 'At this level of the game, you have to be a complete package. For his level of intelligence and how he studies and adapts and learns, there's a real opportunity here for him to figure the ovals out and be a complete Cup driver. 'We've got somebody who is talented that we can make a Cup driver out of. And while he learns in the meantime, we can win a ton of road courses and punch that ticket to the playoffs and give our sponsors a ton of return for their investment.' (Top photo of Shane van Gisbergen taking the checkered flag Sunday at the Chicago Street Race: James Gilbert / Getty Images)
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Denny Hamlin Mentions Retirement After Record-Setting Michigan Win
Denny Hamlin Mentions Retirement After Record-Setting Michigan Win originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Make that three wins for Denny Hamlin in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver snatched his third checkered flag of the season when he topped the field Sunday at the 2025 FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Advertisement Hamlin, who started third, led for a total of five laps, found his way in front of everyone when he passed by William Byron on lap No. 197. Byron led for 98 laps, but his car did not have enough fuel to keep up with Hamlin down the stretch. Apart from it being Hamlin's third victory of the season, his success in Michigan also got him a place in the history books. According to NASCAR Insights, Hamlin's latest win was also his 57th overall with Joe Gibbs Racing, surpassing the team record previously held by Kyle Busch, who had 56. Denny Hamlin (11) stands for the National Anthem before the start of the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Horwedel-Imagn Images Moreover, Hamlin is only the 10th driver ever in NASCAR history to win a race after having at least 700 career starts. Sunday's event was the 701st NASCAR Cup Series race for the 44-year-old Hamlin. Advertisement Following the Michigan race, Hamlin spoke about what it's like to still win at this portion of his career. "It feels good because I'm going to hate it when I'm not at the level I'm at now," Hamlin said, per Larry Lage of the Associated Press. "I will certainly retire very quickly after that." Hamlin has always been a strong performer at Michigan International Speedway, where he's won three times in 35 career NASCAR Cup Series appearances there. He has also finished inside the top 10 in each of his last eight starts on that track, dating back to 2018. Related: Upset Kyle Larson Takes Aim at Denny Hamlin and Another Driver at Michigan This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Slow stop slumps Chase Elliott's winning chances at Kansas; Hamlin also derailed
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Chase Elliott was up front, leading laps and seemingly poised to fight toward snapping a 38-race winless streak. But one miscue at Lap 198 of Sunday's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway unraveled an otherwise impressive day for the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, ultimately fading to a 15th-place finish. Advertisement MORE: Race results | Best Kansas photos Elliott had impressive speed throughout the weekend, qualifying ninth and surging to second place at the end of both stages. A strong pit stop at the end of Stage 2 propelled Elliott to the lead to restart the final stage. Elliott did his part when the green flag waved to fend off teammate Kyle Larson and RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski to maintain the top spot. A flat tire for Keselowski at Lap 195, however, triggered the first domino in derailing Elliott's day. The caution flag waved and ushered in an ensuing round of pit stops that ultimately played a pivotal role in determining the outcome of Sunday's race. Elliott led the field to pit road and planted his No. 9 Prime Video Chevrolet into pit stall No. 41, the first box nearest pit entry. All looked routine as the crew serviced the right side of the car — until jackman TJ Semke dropped the jack a millisecond too early. Rear-tire changer Chad Avrit hadn't yet secured the right-rear wheel before the car was lowered, forcing Semke to re-jack the vehicle for Avrit to tighten the lug nut. Advertisement The mistake marked the group's only significant error of the contest, but the stop anchored Elliott in the box for over 14 seconds — a relative eternity in a NASCAR world rocketing forward with common eight-second services. Elliott plummeted from the lead to 16th place and never truly recovered. The 2020 Cup champion worked his way back to 12th place in the closing laps of the contest, but Todd Gilliland, Corey Heim and Noah Gragson all eventually worked past him to drop Elliott to 15th at the checkered flag. On one hand, there are plenty of positives for Elliott, crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 9 crew to take from Kansas after leading 29 laps and averaging a fourth-best 6.37 running position, according to NASCAR's loop data. Per NASCAR Insights, Elliott also ranked third in Defense Rating with the fifth-best Speed Rating and seventh-best Passing Rating. But the end result dampens what could have been for Elliott, who ranked just 23rd in NASCAR Insights' Restart Rating. 'It was great for the 9 this weekend,' said Chad Knaus, Hendrick Motorsports' vice president of competition. 'They unloaded, they were good. Chase had very favorable comments about the race car straight out of the gate, which was really nice. I know that Alan and Chase are digging in deep and working extremely hard with their team to try to make sure that they do that on a weekly basis, because when they do, they execute very well. Advertisement 'It's unfortunate that issue happened today because I think we'd be sitting here with them easily in the top five with the pace that they had. But it only takes one hiccup and it can derail your day. So we've got to keep working on those things. But as long as they continue to bring good race cars and fast race cars and execute at a high level, they're going to be where we need them.' That particular round of pit stops ended others' days while propelling others back into the mix. Christopher Bell launched three spots forward to escape pit road with the lead at Lap 198 while his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe rocketed four spots up to sixth. Bell was a constant presence inside the top five Sunday, but Briscoe largely struggled to start the event before leaping to a fourth-place finish. Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, another JGR driver, suffered a mechanical failure, speculating that the transaxle broke on his No. 11 Toyota while attempting to leave his pit stall with an already-broken clutch. A handful of quick cautions in succession — first for spins by Cody Ware, Daniel Suárez and Ty Dillon, then for Kyle Busch and again for a five-car incident — jumbled the running order once again before Larson finally emerged as the day's dominant driver, leading 221 of 267 laps to score his third Kansas win.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR Insights: Trackhouse duo overcomes lack of speed for Texas top 10s
Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez both overcame a lack of speed in their Trackhouse Racing Chevrolets to leave Texas Motor Speedway with top-10 finishes. According to NASCAR Insights, Chastain's No. 1 Chevrolet ranked just 23rd in overall speed in Sunday's Würth 400 presented by Liqui Moly, and Suárez's No. 99 28th. But Chastain stormed to a second-place finish despite the relative lack of pace, while Suárez came home 10th. Advertisement MORE: Texas results | NASCAR Insights analysis explained Chastain's surge was bolstered by his No. 2 ranking in restarts Sunday and bettered with defense, which ranked third overall. That continues a trend of overcoming hindered performance from his No. 1 Chevrolet, which ranks 14th this season in speed. But Chastain isn't alone. His Trackhouse teammates Suárez and Shane van Gisbergen are facing similar issues, ranking 22nd and 35th in outright speed. 'That's a working-class day,' Chastain told FOX Sports. 'Just no confidence in the car (Saturday), and you all saw that. Just the speed of the Trackhouse cars on Saturdays is just terrible. And we're just not confident — all three drivers. 'There was one pit stop today that (crew chief) Phil Surgen and the group — it takes a ton of people back at Trackhouse and on the box here and at GM Chevrolet, and they made me a confident driver all of a sudden with one adjustment. And it was small stuff. It doesn't even make sense. But after that, I was a confident driver. … But yeah, I can't drive an uncomfortable car, personally. So as soon as they got it comfortable — or at least gave me some confidence — we started going forward.' Advertisement At Texas, no one defended positions better than Suárez, a two-time Cup race winner. He maximized the productivity of his pit crew as well, which ranked fourth Sunday with front tire changer Josh Bush, rear changer Seth Gajdorus, tire carrier Charles Plank, jackman Josh Appleby and fueler Milan Rudanovic. However, the No. 99 car ranked 28th in passing and 20th on restarts. 'It was a good day for this No. 99 Kubota Chevrolet team,' Suárez said. 'We had decent speed out there. I think that we potentially had a little bit more, but we were struggling a lot on restarts all day long, except for the start of the race for some reason. All in all, it was a decent day, and it's good to get back-to-back top-10 finishes.'
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tire changer Ryan Flores eager for 'mentor' role with No. 38 team
Despite moving organizations after nine races in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, Ryan 'Skip' Flores is taking his pit-crew change in stride, viewing the opportunity to help propel an up-and-coming Cup Series team with driver Zane Smith as an exciting proposition. Flores, who joins the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports group as a front-tire changer, was a front-tire changer for the No. 12 since 2022 before he was replaced last week by Keiston France, who served in the same position on the No. 38 team. Flores co-hosts 'Stacking Pennies' with Corey LaJoie. Advertisement RELATED: Cup Series schedule | Listen to 'Stacking Pennies' podcast 'There's a lot of young guys on the 38, and if we look at where the 38's been on the charts, they're at the lower end of the charts,' Flores said during a podcast segment about the move. 'So, OK, my mind just immediately doesn't go to, 'What the hell, that's not fair.' Like, OK, shift gears, how do we win, what's the steps with this team? How do I prepare them to be a top-20 team, to be a top-10 team and how do I take the experiences I have from racing for championships for the last 10 years … and I understand what it takes to win at this level, how do I pass that on to these guys that are gonna want to get there? 'That's where my mind goes. My mind doesn't go anywhere of being destructive or being mad, being frustrated, feeling wrong.' The No. 12 pit crew has struggled at times this season, including most recently at Darlington Raceway, where a slow stop resulted in a fifth-place finish instead of a possible visit to Victory Lane. According to NASCAR Insights, Blaney's No. 12 pit crew rating currently ranks 25th, while the 2023 champ's passing, defense, speed and restart ratings all rank inside the top 12. Meanwhile, Smith's No. 38 Ford ranks outside the top 20 in all categories; the No. 38 pit crew ranks 29th. Advertisement Flores, who has been a part of several Xfinity and Cup Series championships — including Blaney's Cup title triumph — understands the sport's shifting nature, including that of pit-crew members changing teams. However, Flores views the move as an opportunity to help the next up-and-coming pit-crew member find their place in the sport. 'I want to be somebody that, when I come back to pit road, the young guys, and I've passed on the good of what the sport is and how you're supposed to act and how you're supposed to be a champion,' Flores said. ' … If I can bring a good attitude to a team, show kids what it means to win, inevitably, if I'm meant to be on a championship car and go win another championship. If I'm meant to be a mentor and somebody that is on a car to help kids and help younger guys to get to where they're at, then that's great, too.' MORE: Talladega weekend schedule The Cup Series resumes action this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway (Sun., 3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
