The Kiwi had foreshadowed a strong showing at his favourite oval Darlington, only to finish a lowly 32nd. He followed that up with 25th at Gateway.
Bristol is the final race of the first Playoffs round, and it’s a half-mile oval that he said will be tough to tame.
“Bristol is a cool track. I really struggled there in the spring and it’s a tough track for someone like me,” said the Trackhouse Racing driver.
“It will be important to have a clean, well-executed race, try and get stage points and be up there all night. It’s going to be a battle.”
Van Gisbergen enters the third race of the Playoffs in 14th, two places below the cutoff line.
He’ll need one of his best oval performances of the year to have a shot at advancing.
Austin Cindric is the first driver above the cutoff line at +11 while van Gisbergen is below it at -15 and in desperate need of Stage points.
Van Gisbergen said his first Playoffs experience in the Cup Series had “been good” but had put himself in a precarious spot after two lacklustre performances.
“I just wish, obviously, that we could’ve gotten better results the last two races,” he explained.
“It’s going to be tough this weekend to get through, but the reality is we aren’t there yet on ovals. It’s coming, but we are just forcing it too quickly at the moment.”
Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain is 11th in the standings and +19 to the cutoff line in 11th.
Despite having the buffer of one driver below him, that being Cindric, Chastain said he’s not comfortable.
“Obviously, we aren’t heading into Bristol with as much of a points cushion as we hoped for,” said the #1 Chevrolet Camaro driver.
“Being 19 points above the cutline is better than being no points or below the line.
“I’m going into Bristol preparing just like I prepare every week, just as if I’ve won the last two races. I can’t try any harder.
“We are going to put our best foot forward and hope for the best result at Bristol and that it is good enough to get us to the next round.”
Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway takes place on Sunday, September 14 at 9:30am AEST.
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