The 2004 champion and veteran of 24 seasons in the Cup Series hailed van Gisbergen “phenomenal” in an exclusive interview with Speedcafe.
Busch said he was wowed by van Gisbergen’s ability to win on debut at the Chicago street circuit and believes it won’t be long before he has ovals down pat.
So what’s the litmus test for van Gisbergen?
“I’d like to see him do well at the ovals that are worn out,” said Busch.
“Those are easier for a new driver to feel, and that might sound the opposite. Fresh asphalt, there’s no room for error. Once you slip, you’re gone.
“A track like Vegas, a track like Texas, Homestead-Miami, let’s see how he progresses on those style tracks, and now that he’s in a Cup car every week, that progression will go quicker.”
Van Gisbergen isn’t the only driver getting to grips.
Several drivers who have made the move from the Xfinity Series haven’t adapted to the Next Gen car, and the same is true for even some of the most established Cup Series drivers.
Kyle Busch, brother of Kurt, was among the most successful drivers in the Gen6 era with 35 wins and an average finish of 12th. That average has dropped to 16.7 with four wins to date.
The same is true for Brad Keselowski, who averaged 12.4 in the Gen6 and now averages a lowly 16.8 in the Gen7 car.
As for the Kiwi, Kurt Busch reckons van Gisbergen could be a race winner on ovals in 2026.
“It’s tough,” said Busch.
“Ty Gibbs is an Xfinity champion and he’s now in his third year and hasn’t won at the Cup level and I expect him to win this year so call it a three-year timeline, but with Shane he’ll probably do it in a year and a half.
“You’ve got to be patient, but you’ve got to go hard.”
The NASCAR icon likened van Gisbergen’s transition to that of Juan Pablo Montoya, who was a race winner on the Sonoma and Watkins Glen road courses and eventually an oval front-runner.
“To watch him at the Chicago street race storm in and steal our trophy in the NASCAR world was incredible,” said Busch.
“I wish I was out there to race on the street course, but to see him, it reminds me of like Juan Pablo Montoya when he came in and did well on the road courses, but took him a while on the ovals.
“The ovals you have to mix the downforce because of the speed. You’re doing 180 [mp/h] in yaw, sideways. That’s where it takes time to learn that.
“At a road course, you only hit the high speeds at the end of a straightaway, he doesn’t have to worry about the aero as much.”
One element that Busch reckons has helped van Gisbergen is the transaxle gearbox, which is similar to that of a Supercar and located in the rear of the car.
That’s something veteran Cup Series drivers have had to get used to.
“It was a perfect storm for him to win Chicago,” said Busch of van Gisbergen.
“It was one of the first road races for the Next Gen car. NASCAR’s never been on a street course before, and he’s a road course specialist from a sequential gearbox.
“All that inertia and rear weight wasn’t in our NASCAR cars before, and so that’s what’s got some of the veterans on the edge of learning versus mastering.”
Van Gisbergen will continue his NASCAR Cup Series program at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Monday, March 24.
