The Red Bull racers met at the Australian Grand Prix in 2017 and have remained in contact ever since.
Concerned about inclement conditions on the morning of the Viva Mexico 250, the Kiwi reached out to the Dutchman.
“You just look for every advantage you can,” said van Gisbergen post-race.
“I walked pit road first thing this morning and it was so greasy. There was oil coming out of the road and I just reach out.
“He’d run here in the wet before and gave me some tips on some lines. The cars are so different but any advantage can help.”
.@shanevg97 beat all adversity to win in Mexico City! #NASCARonPrime pic.twitter.com/XXqBhBxfmh
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 15, 2025
It’s been a turbulent few days for van Gisbergen, who was delayed getting into Mexico City by an aircraft incident.
Personnel delays meant his spotters and race engineers were last-minute arrivals.
Trackhouse Racing entered three of its cars in practice with skeleton crews owing to the delays from the United States into Mexico.
On top of that, van Gisbergen suffered from a suspected stomach virus on the morning of the race that meant he missed media commitments.
During the post-race show, van Gisbergen was given a drink. He remarked: “Is this ice good?”
“I got a little better,” he said of his health during the race.
“Sorry I missed the pre-race up here. I was hugging the big white telephone not feeling real good. Felt better as the race went on.
“I had some nice pills that fixed me here. As the race went on I felt better and better.”
Van Gisbergen hailed the win a watershed moment for his season in what is still a learning process for the Cup Series rookie.
“It fixes everything we’ve gone through in the start of the year,” he said.
“We’ve made big strides in the last few weeks on ovals, and that’s going to continue.
“This car is so, so different to the Xfinity car. I pretty much threw everything in the bin I learned last year and I’ve started again. Wherever you place the car, the opposite happens.
Asked which tracks he’s most looking forward to, van Gisbergen joked: “Any with a right-hander.”
The NASCAR Cup Series continues at Pocono Raceway on June 23.
Discussion about this post