Shane van Gisbergen achieved a solid 12th place finish at Martinsville.
Image credit: IMAGO
The three-time Supercars champion is quickly adapting to the NASCAR racing culture. The driver from New Zealand made a remarkable entrance to the sport by winning his debut race at Chicago Streets. He is currently competing in his first full-time season in NASCAR with Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series.
Despite the challenges faced by the Kaulig team in fielding competitive cars, Shane van Gisbergen has made the most of every opportunity with his clean racing. However, this does not mean he refrains from retaliation. Instead, he races his rivals the same way they race him, as demonstrated this Saturday at Martinsville. He executed a strong bump and run maneuver while battling for 15th place.
SVG showcasing 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 difficult start for him, as it was his first time racing at 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 No. 97 Chevy.
“That was some of the most enjoyable racing I’ve experienced! I really had a great time at Martinsville and kept improving with each stage, except for the start of stage 3 where we encountered a minor car issue. Once I figured out how to work around it, we made progress. The end of the race was chaotic, but I had a blast!” wrote Shane van Gisbergen.
SVG is already a happy man, even though the main event of the weekend is yet to come. He shared his thoughts on SVG’s performance in a social media post. The part-time racer also praised their 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 at Hickory. Tomorrow, Daniel Suarez, Ross Chastain, and Zane Smith will give 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 victory. He also holds optimistic hopes for the development driver who is competing for Spire Motorsports.