Shane van Gisbergen has quickly become one of NASCAR’s most captivating stories, following his victory on debut in the NASCAR Cup Series event at the Chicago Street Course.
Now, in partnership between Kaulig Racing and Trackhouse Racing, the Auckland, New Zealand-native has officially moved to the United States, where he’ll compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for 2024.
The 34-year-old driver will get behind the wheel of the No. 97 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he’ll make his debut in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.
“After winning in Chicago, I could not stop thinking about racing full-time in NASCAR,” said van Gisbergen. “I am still stunned at how quickly this has all come together. I must thank the NASCAR industry and fans for embracing me and allowing me to chase this dream. I respect every driver who has put in the work to make it to the Cup Series, and I am ready to put in that same effort. I am anxious to get started.”
In addition to an already jam-packed schedule in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for 2024, van Gisbergen will compete in a minimum of seven NASCAR Cup Series events, beginning at Circuit of The Americas in March.
The three-time Australian Supercars champion will also contest NASCAR Cup Series events at Talladega (April 21), Charlotte (May 26), Chicago (July 7), Watkins Glen (September 15), Talladega (October 6), and Las Vegas (October 20).
Wednesday’s official announcement failed to mention if Shane van Gisbergen would be piloting a NASCAR Cup Series entry for Kaulig Racing or Trackhouse Racing. If clarified, that information will be added to this story.
“We know Shane will be incredibly competitive at the road course events in both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity series, but we wanted to get him as much experience on NASCAR ovals as possible, so I am really excited about his 2024 schedule,” said Trackhouse Racing founder and owner Justin Marks. “Kaulig Racing has a history of winning in the Xfinity Series and as a fellow Chevrolet team, we are so thankful Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice see the potential in Shane that we see. The anticipation for this season is palpable.”
Van Gisbergen has a total of three NASCAR National Series starts to date, including a pair of NASCAR Cup Series starts which resulted in top-10 finishes at Chicago and Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Road Course.
“We started our talks with Trackhouse about the possibility of putting SVG in a Xfinity car for a few races quite some time ago, and from there the talks evolved to discussions about how much it would cost to run a full season,” said Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing. “Once we knew we had an open seat for next season, it became the perfect scenario to put him in the car. We partner with Trackhouse’s pit crew department, and with their key support from Chevrolet, it made teaming up an easy decision.”
Additional details surrounding sponsorship, personnel, and the organization in which he’ll compete for in the NASCAR Cup Series, will come at a later date.
