SVG backs rivals’ NASCAR ambitions

Supercars superstar Shane van Gisbergen applauds key rivals’ ambitions to follow him into trying out NASCAR as he debates his own long-term future.

Brodie Kostecki and Cam Waters are looking to gain NASCAR guest drives in road course events, either in the top-level Cup Series or secondary Xfinity Series.

Supercars title leader Kostecki is set to get a start later this year.

Unlike SVG and Waters, the Perth-born rising V8 star has American oval racing experience as a teenager, starting out in junior-level American stock car racing.

Van Gisbergen has gone straight in at the top for his NASCAR debut, making a cameo appearance in this weekend’s Chicago city circuit event – the first NASCAR Cup Series street race.

With NASCAR adding more road course races to its sprawling annual schedule, dominated by oval speedways, Supercars is emerging as a pathway to a foothold in NCS, the biggest and most popular racing series globally outside F1.

SVG posits that, like twice Supercars champion Marcos Ambrose in 2006, it’s probably worth having “a crack” at NASCAR in your 20s.

“I think it’s certainly appealing,” he told Speedcafe. “I had some interesting chats with Marcos about it. I rang him for some advice and, yeah, like it would be cool to maybe go and try it because you can always come back here.

“When he did it, he was at a similar stage in his career – maybe a bit younger – but his advice was go and have a crack because you can always come back here.

“Brodie and Cam are a lot younger than me again and they’re at the top of their games. Go and have a have a shot at it.”

Van Gisbergen is 34; Kostecki is 25 and Waters 28. Ambrose was 29 when he switched to NASCAR, rising through Trucks and Nationwide to NCS, winning road course races in nine seasons.

SVG’s deal with Trackhouse is a one-off, but if he performs well in Chicago, more opportunities will almost certainly follow.

He is committed to Supercars with Triple Eight next year, but his two-year contract renewal allows him to leave to race in a major category overseas in 2025.

Van Gisbergen is still vexed about his future, weighing the comfort of Supercars against the challenge of a possible full-time switch to NASCAR.

“I’ve never really thought of it too much going overseas, but it’s certainly appealing to try it. Looking at NASCAR now, it’s not just an oval series. I think next year they’re talking about eight races on road courses.

“So, of course it’s appealing. It’s a rare and pretty exciting opportunity to get straight into the top level [at Chicago] and see what it’s like without having to commit to it. It’s pretty cool if you look at it that way.

“Longer term, though, the oval races would be a very different thing. I have no idea what an oval race is like. Those guys mainly grow up driving them and experiencing them.

“That’s such another world, such a different discipline, that would take years to learn. It’d be pretty tough to just jump in, and try and run with those guys.”

The multi-talented New Zealander is in the fortunate position of having a range of racing options beyond Supercars, in which he has been competing full-time since 2008, winning three championships (2016/21/22), two Bathurst 1000s (2020/22) and 79 races.

Van Gisbergen has also been successful in local and international GT racing, and starred in his occasional Australasian rally outings.