‘Crown him the greatest athlete in history’ NASCAR reacts to Van Gisbergen heroics

Shane van Gisbergen did what Formula 1 greats Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button couldn’t, winning a NASCAR Cup Series race and America was shell shocked.

Van Gisbergen became the first driver in six decades to win on NASCAR Cup Series debut after storming from 18th to first in a thrilling Chicago Street Race finale decided in overtime.

Although the Kiwi first stepped into a NASCAR just six days prior to the big day, he looked at home behind the wheel of the Trackhouse Racing Project91 Camaro as he flew past some of the biggest names in the sport.

The stunning success caused eruptions in the motorsport world on both sides of the Pacific Ocean with Australian and New Zealand based fans celebrating a Supercars star following in the footsteps of Marcos Ambrose.

Shane van Gisbergen with the winner’s trophy in Chicago in victory lane. Photo by Rusty Jarrett / NKP / LAT Images

Meanwhile the NASCAR community was jaw-dropped by how someone few had heard of before could show up and beat the established stars at their own game.

Three-time Daytona 500 winner and Joe Gibbs Racing star Denny Hamlin was one of those.

The driver who took pole position for the Chicago Street Race went as far as saying Van Gisbergen is the “greatest” after discovering he usually races on the opposite side of the car in Supercars.

“He is shifting with the opposite hand and is on the other side of the car? Crown him the greatest f*****g athlete in the history of our sport!,” Hamlin cried on the Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin podcast.

“He went from one side of the car to the other. That blows my mind. 

Denny Hamlin leads Tyler Reddick and Shane van Gisbergen down the main straight in Chicago. Photo by Nigel Kinrade / NKP / LAT Images

“I did that when I went to Japan to race GT3 and it took me forever to get comfortable. It is just way different. Holy cow.

“What he did this weekend was unbelievable. If you look at where he was fastest, it was where all the walls were. The tighter the track the faster he was.

“I was in awe at this guy’s talent.”

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson even admitted he wonders if Van Gisbergen thinks “we all suck”.

“When a guy like that can come in and kick our arses at our own game it shows that we all have room to improve,” the Hendrick Motorsports star said.

“I am curious about what he thinks about us. He obviously passed a lot of us, so I wonder if he thinks we all suck?

Kyle Larson leads Jenson Button in Chicago. Photo by Nigel Kinrade / NKP / LAT Images

“We come from a different background than him, but congratulations to him. He took us all to school and is an extremely amazing racing driver, I hope the rest of the world realises that.”

Larson is not just an oval specialist, he knows how to win on the road courses having completed the Sonoma and Watkins Glen double in his championship year.

But even he was stunned by the way van Gisbergen danced through the Chicago streets.

“He was so fun to watch from my view,” Larson said.

“When he got to my back bumper I thought I pieced together a really good section and would pull two car lengths in front of him and he was still glued to me.

“Then I was like ‘holy shit, this guy is flying’ so he was able to get by me and I got to watch the show.

“He could pass anywhere. The moves he could make into Turn 2 were really neat and the battle for the lead was sick.”

The other high-achieving Hendrick Motorsports star was Chase Elliott, who finished third.

Chase Elliott negotiating the slippery streets of Chicago in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. Photo by LAT Images

Elliott went as far as stating Van Gisbergen made “me look bad” in his “big time clinic” on the Chicago streets.

“It was risk versus reward, but it is always the people who do a better job than others that find their way and we saw that with Shane,” the 2020 Cup Series champion said.

“He was in a league of his own and put on a big time clinic.

“I don’t want to speak for everyone else, but he made me look really really bad.”

As NASCAR returns to the ovals with Atlanta this weekend, Van Gisbergen will be back in his more familiar environment racing a Supercar around the streets of Townsville.

But there is no doubt the Americans will continue talking about how the little-known Kiwi taught them a big lesson.

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