After scoring the victory in the inaugural Grant Park 220 at the Chicago Street Course, Shane Van Gisbergen is coming back to the NASCAR Cup Series in August to compete in the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Road Course.
The 34-year-old driver will return to the driver’s seat of the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing’s PROJECT91 program.
“I never dreamed this could have all rolled out this way,” said Van Gisbergen. “Just getting to race in NASCAR is an opportunity I never thought I would get, but then to win and get another chance this year is beyond anything I imagined. I can’t thank (Trackhouse founder and owner) Justin Marks, everyone at Trackhouse Racing, and NASCAR for this opportunity. Everyone in NASCAR welcomed me to Chicago and it’s been awesome to see how big the reception from that race has been around the world. I am honored to be part of it.”
With his victory in Chicago, Van Gisbergen became one of six foreign-born drivers to score a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series, and the first driver since Johnny Rutherford in 1963 to win on debut at NASCAR’s top level.
That victory was the latest accomplishment on a resume that includes three Supercars championships for Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2016, 2021, and 2022, plus 78 victories and 47 pole positions, making him the fourth most successful driver in series history.
“After a performance like that it’s only natural to want to keep this going,” said Marks. “Shane showed he is a world-class talent and what he did in Chicago was truly remarkable. PROJECT91, Trackhouse Racing and the fans of NASCAR benefit by bringing him back. I don’t think I am being overly dramatic when I say the entire motorsports world will be watching the No. 91 Chevrolet at Indianapolis.”
Darian Grubb will once again serve as the crew chief for Van Gisbergen.
It was a true honor to be able to work with somebody like Shane van Gisbergen who put on a performance like that in his first start,” Grubb said. “The team did an incredible job preparing the car, being ready for the moment and putting it all out there on the line and letting him put that show on. You’re never going to forget that. It’s the first event; we all wanted some souvenirs and stuff from it just to make sure we remembered it for life and tell our grandkids about it. It was really cool and I hope we can do that again in Indy.”
The addition of SVG and Trackhouse Racing’s PROJECT91 entry will bolster an already star-studded entry list that includes Jenson Button, Brodie Kostecki, and Kamui Kobayashi.
