SVG and his Supercars-inspired skills are again the talk of the NASCAR world after a stunning come-from-behind win at Watkins Glen last weekend.
But as it stands there’ll be no current Supercars drivers making cameos Stateside this year, reversing a trend from recent seasons.
Van Gisbergen modestly declared after his breakout win on debut in Chicago in 2023 that “any of the top 10 in Supercars are good enough to come and do what I just did”.
Brodie Kostecki, Will Brown and Cam Waters all made Cup Series starts on road courses in the 12 months that followed.
All turned up with no pre-event testing and fell short of SVG’s incredible benchmark, which occurred amid the perfect storm of circumstances on the rain-hit Chicago streets.
Brown returned to the US for the Chicago Cup race and Portland Xfinity road course last year, where a multi-car accident and mechanical woes quashed any hope.
Teammate Broc Feeney has been pushing for a NASCAR chance for some time, but not even dominant Supercars form and newfound connections with Ford have gotten him on the grid.
Waters has been the most prolific US visitor, with two Truck starts on ovals in 2024 and a return via the Lime Rock road course last year adding to his single Sonoma Cup outing.
“I’d love to go back if all the stars align but it’s just so much money to make it happen,” Waters told Speedcafe, having also been the victim of a multi-car crash during his 2024 Cup outing.
“I’m definitely trying and I’d never say never but I’ve got nothing lined up. It’s something I want to do, but I haven’t been able to make it happen.”
Even off the back of SVG’s success, there’s no free rides for Supercars stars.
While deals vary, it’s said that a weekend in the NASCAR Cup Series requires around $400,000 USD ($550,000 AUD) in sponsorship.
The O’Reilly Series is around $250,000 USD ($345,000 AUD) and the Truck Series $100,000 USD ($138,000 AUD).
Then there’s the issue of car availability.
Cup Series opportunities are naturally the hardest to come by, while there was notably not a single Ford entry in the O’Reilly race at The Glen.
Although nothing has materialised as yet, Ford Racing boss Mark Rushbrook told Speedcafe earlier this year the Blue Oval remains keen to export its Supercars talent.
“The way we want to go racing is to share across series where it makes sense,” he said, noting Feeney’s strong performance for GT squad HRT in the Bathurst 12 Hour.
“NASCAR teams understand [the strength of Supercars drivers] because of what Shane has been able to do.
“He’s an incredible talent, I’m disappointed he’s racing a Chevy.
“I think the world is seeing the talent that’s [in Supercars], it’s just a matter of finding those avenues and what the drivers really want to do or where they want to go.”
Waters was among many from the Supercars fraternity in Australia who watched van Gisbergen’s latest success on TV.
He went door-to-door with SVG on a number of occasions during their time together in Supercars and hopes to one day do so again.
“I’d love to be able to go and race Shane again,” he said.
“It’s awesome to see him over there doing what he’s doing. It’s sick.
“Obviously he’s got all of Australia and New Zealand cheering for him.”
Watkins Glen took place during a five-week gap in the Supercars schedule.
Only two Cup road courses remain this year, the new San Diego event that clashes with Supercars in Darwin on June 21, and Sonoma the following weekend.
The Lime Rock Truck Series event in which Waters finished third in 2025 is this year being held in July and clashes with Supercars’ Townsville fixture.
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