Kevin Harvick says he would like to see Scott McLaughlin in NASCAR, but will his retirement prove key in getting Shane van Gisbergen into the category?
Van Gisbergen went from a curiosity among foot fetishists in NASCAR to a sensation in North American motorsport when he became the first debut Cup Series race winner in six decades with a sterling drive on the streets of Chicago earlier this month.
Now, most in the Supercars paddock are convinced that the 34-year-old old will depart the category at the end of this year, notwithstanding that his somewhat liberal new Triple Eight Race Engineering contract still theoretically ties him to the team for at least 2024.
To leave early, however, he would need to have a seat to walk into in the United States.
Van Gisbergen told media on the eve of the NTI Townsville 500, “My phone’s been running hot,” but added, “I don’t have any proper offers yet, obviously.”
It was then that he also reiterated his commitment to Supercars next year, but few in the paddock – if any – now believe that to still be the case, and Triple Eight Team Principal Jamie Whincup seemingly would not stand in the way.
Harvick’s impending retirement, it seems, helps pave the way.
There is no suggestion that van Gisbergen would land at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) and, indeed, Josh Berry has already been named as the new driver of the #4 Ford Mustang for 2024.
However, SHR also has to replace a major sponsor after beer giant Anheuser-Busch decided to move from the #4 Ford to the #1 Chevrolet Camaro of Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, a deal announced this week.
Trackhouse is, of course, the team which fielded van Gisbergen at Chicago in its ‘Project91’ entry for talented steerers from foreign countries/disciplines.
It has now landed a big fish as a partner for 2024, which is clearly a good sign commercially – and for SVG.
Thus far, the #91 Project91 Camaro has only run three times, last year at Watkins Glen and this year at the Circuit of The Americas for Kimi Raikkonen, then in Chicago.
There are no firm plans for any more this year, with team owner Justin Marks explaining that Car #91 was facilitated by drawing upon existing staff.
That said, he did not rule out expanding to a third, full-time entry, in addition to those for Chastain and Daniel Suarez.
“If we ever expand to a third full-time team [entry], it’s good that we’re going through this exercise right now with the 91, because, we’re doing sort of three teams’ worth of work in the shop as we lead into the Project91 races,” noted Marks.
“But I think, beyond that, it starts to become a third team deal, which is a whole ‘nother conversation for our company.
“And then beyond that, I’m pretty confident that it’s Shane’s seat right now.
“You know, he did such an incredible job, obviously just put on an incredible race [in Chicago].
“Project91 is about bringing all different kinds of drivers in and we certainly still have the desire to rotate drivers through, but winning feels pretty good and Shane just did it, so I think if he can continue to deliver that, the door is open for him to do more, for sure.”
While details about the Anheuser-Busch deal are, unsurprisingly, confidential, it is safe to assume that it is a lucrative contract.
Busch Light is also the official beer for NASCAR as a whole and Harvick is a big name in the category, not to mention the 2014 Cup Series champion.
As for Trackhouse, it has made a sizeable impression on the stock car landscape in its short history, with five race wins in just two-and-a-half seasons to date.
Furthermore, it counts Armando Christian Perez – the rapper better known by his stage name of ‘Pitbull’ – as a co-owner.
Between its on-track results, Pitbull, and Project91, there is a real buzz around the team which has surely boosted its commercial prospects, and van Gisbergen would be extremely valuable to any NASCAR team.
He may have had the benefit of debuting in the category’s first ever street event, but road courses are becoming more prevalent on the calendar and a race win during the regular season virtually guarantees a Playoff berth – which means big money for teams.
Trackhouse would need to secure another charter to field the New Zealander on a full-time basis, but he is a financial incentive to do so, and Busch cash helps give it the means to do so.
Harvick says he wants to see van Gisbergen versus McLaughlin in NASCAR.
He may have helped facilitate half of that match-up.
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