Shane van Gisbergen, who is a two-time Australian Supercars Champion (2016 and 2021) and is the current Series point leader, has apparently set his sights on getting his feet wet in NASCAR. In an exclusive interview with Wide World of Sports, Van Gisbergen says he has had initial talks with Trackhouse Racing about running for the team in the newly formed PROJECT91 entry next season.
While van Gisbergen, 33, wants to make his NASCAR debut in 2023, he is waiting on the 2023 Supercars schedule release to fully make his commitments.
“We did speak,” van Gisbergen said of Trackhouse Racing, “but it’s all dependent on our calendar and what races I can do and if there’s time to get over there and back without upsetting Supercars.”
Where would van Gisbergen like to run his NASCAR debut? Van Gisbergen told Wide World of Sports that he has experience at Watkins Glen and is certainly intrigued by the Chicago Street Course race.
“A street circuit would suit me, I reckon,” the New Zealand native said in the Wide World of Sports interview. “That would be good as well because it’s a new track for everyone, so certainly that would help me get up to speed if everyone else is learning as well. That would be a good one, but let’s see.”
To read the entire Wide World of Sports interview with Shane Van Gisbergen, click here.
The Trackhouse Racing PROJECT91 NASCAR Cup Series entry, revealed back in May, is a revolutionary idea by Trackhouse team owner Justin Marks.
The whole idea of the No. 91 car is to provide a seat for renowned International drivers to get a chance to showcase their skills in the NASCAR arena. Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 Formula1 World Champion, was the first driver to pilot the No. 91 car for Trackhouse in an actual NASCAR Cup Series race.
Räikkönen competed at Watkins Glen International, and while the race ended in a DNF (did not finish) and an official finishing position of 37th, the legendary driver ran inside the top-10 at one point in the race and had a good time in his NASCAR Cup Series debut, and stated that he wouldn’t mind giving it another try if the opportunity presented itself.
Marks has stated that Watkins Glen will be the only race action for the PROJECT91 entry during the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, but that he is looking at expanding the entry’s effort to more races in 2023.
Would love to see this happen!