Shane van Gisbergen’s hopes of contesting both Supercars Championship endurance races in 2024 are fading following the announcement of the NASCAR Cup Series calendar.
NASCAR announced its 2024 calendar and with a season spanning 39 events including non-title races, clashes between road course races and Supercars events were inevitable.
The first of those could well rule him out of the Sandown 500, given the Watkins Glen event falls on the weekend of Sunday, September 15, one of two likely dates for Supercars’ first enduro of the 2024 season.
Another occurs on what is set to be the Bathurst 1000 weekend, which would clash with the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval round on Sunday, October 13.
Although these will be events within the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, van Gisbergen can participate as a non-points paying driver due to the Kiwi not racing under one of Trackhouse Racing’s full-time charters, and would be reasonably expected to do so given his obvious road course skillset.
Van Gisbergen sensationally won on his NASCAR Cup Series debut on the streets of Chicago in July and was immediately linked to a move to the US for 2024 due to his discontent with Supercars’ new Gen3 formula.
He made another cameo on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course alongside Supercars rival Brodie Kostecki where van Gisbergen scored 10th. Further progress was made when he debuted on an oval driving for Niece Motorsports, which holds an alliance with Trackhouse Racing.
The Justin Marks-owned concern also holds a relationship with Xfinity outfit Kaulig Racing, ensuring van Gisbergen holds a pathway towards its NASCAR Cup programme.
This weekend, van Gisbergen will enter as one of the favourites partnered by fellow Kiwi Richie Stanaway in the Red Bull Ampol Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
NASCAR Cup Series 2024 Calendar
| Round | Event | Location | Date |
| Exhibition Race | L.A. Memorial Coliseum | February 4 | |
| Qualifying Duels | Daytona International Speedway | February 15 | |
| 1 | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway | February 18 |
| 2 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | February 25 | |
| 3 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | March 3 | |
| 4 | Phoenix Raceway | March 10 | |
| 5 | Bristol Motor Speedway | March 17 | |
| 6 | Circuit of the Americas | March 24 | |
| 7 | Richmond Raceway | March 31 | |
| 8 | Martinsville Speedway | April 7 | |
| 9 | Texas Motor Speedway | April 14 | |
| 10 | Talladega Superspeedway | April 21 | |
| 11 | Dover Motor Speedway | April 28 | |
| 12 | Kansas Speedway | May 5 | |
| 13 | Darlington Raceway | May 12 | |
| All Star Race | North Wilkesboro Speedway | May 19 | |
| 14 | Coca Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | May 26 |
| 15 | WWT Raceway [Gateway] | June 2 | |
| 16 | Sonoma Raceway | June 9 | |
| 17 | Iowa Speedway | June 16 | |
| 18 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | June 23 | |
| 19 | Nashville Superspeedway | June 30 | |
| 20 | Chicago Street Race | July 7 | |
| 21 | Pocono Raceway | July 14 | |
| 22 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | July 21 | |
| 23 | Richmond Raceway | August 11 | |
| 24 | Michigan International Speedway | August 18 | |
| 25 | Daytona International Speedway | August 24 | |
| 26 | Southern 500, Regular Season Finale | Darlington Raceway | September 1 |
| 27 | Round of 16 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | September 8 |
| 28 | Round of 16 | Watkins Glen International | September 15 |
| 29 | Round of 16 Elimination Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | September 21 |
| 30 | Round of 12 | Kansas Speedway | September 29 |
| 31 | Round of 12 | Talladega Superspeedway | October 6 |
| 32 | Round of 12 Elimination Race | Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval | October 13 |
| 33 | Round of 8 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | October 20 |
| 34 | Round of 8 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | October 27 |
| 35 | Round of 8 Elimination Race | Martinsville Speedway | November 3 |
| 36 | Title decider | Phoenix Raceway | November 10 |
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