The three-time Supercars champion is contesting the full, 33-race Xfinity Series in 2024 as well as seven Cup Series races.
While he has oval experience, that is limited to a single start on a short oval, namely Indianapolis Raceway Park, in a Truck.
Daytona, on the other hand, is a vastly different proposition, being a 2.5mi superspeedway.
Van Gisbergen must therefore participate in the ARCA Menards season-opener so that he is eligible for the Daytona Xfinity race which takes place later that same Saturday (February 17, local time).
Trackhouse Racing president Ty Norris told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “We’re in the process of getting [van Gisbergen] in the ARCA race for Daytona.
“There’s a [pre-race practice] in January and the Xfinity Series has a pretty lengthy practice, so there’s a lot of opportunities to be observed.
“That’ll lead to an approval for Daytona and once he’s approved at Daytona, we’ll be able to go to any track on the circuit.”
The extra mileage is unlikely to be a particular concern for the New Zealander, who was already eyeing further races on top of his slate of 40 – now 41, including the ARCA outing – when he spoke to media upon the announcement of his 2024 programme.
Van Gisbergen has stated that his goal is to be a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver in 2025, and the 2024 Xfinity calendar will take him to all but one circuit at which the top tier races for championship points.
That is Gateway Motorsports Park, where Cup and Trucks are in action on the first weekend of June while Xfinity is over at Portland’s road course.
Had Xfinity and Trucks not both been racing on that Saturday (June 1, local time), van Gisbergen might have attempted to contest both.
“I think there’s two tracks … that we don’t go to in Xfinity, so I think it’d be helpful to just at least go to that track and just experience it,” he responded when asked about the possibility of Truck races next year.
“I want to be able to go to every track and know them all before ‘25.”
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