Van Gisbergen on NASCAR Playoff chances

Shane van Gisbergen is readying himself for a maiden taste of the Playoffs at the first time of asking in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and he is fascinated by the challenge.

Thanks to three unforgettable wins at Portland, Sonoma and Chicago, van Gisbergen is locked in and has a strong haul of points heading into the deciding knockout Playoff races, which begin in just three rounds time.

Unlike in Supercars or Formula 1 where the most accumulated points across an entire season decides the champion, NASCAR uses its own Playoffs system.

Only the top 12 progress to the first stage before four drivers are relegated from each three-race round to create a four-way, one-race championship showdown at Phoenix.

It will be just the latest new experience for the Kiwi, who has taken the massive jump from Supercars in Australia to NASCAR in America like a duck to water this year.

Van Gisbergen said he is eager to experience the high-pressure environment of racing for survival in the Playoffs.

“I have not been involved in it yet but the playoff races are going to be massive pressure cookers, especially that third race if you have had a bad first two,” van Gisbergen said.

“I am looking forward to being part of that pressure and seeing what it feels like.

“With the amount of races here and how spread out the championship gets it is good to have it come down to the last few rounds.

“I don’t know if I agree with it going down to just the one race and track every year, but I can’t change that.

“When it was eight or 10 races or whatever it was a few years ago it was pretty cool too.

“Certainly if you make that final four it is a real pressure race, it is crazy.

“From a fan point of view and spectacle it is pretty full on and interesting to watch.

“But being on the other side of the fence, hopefully we get to experience it and I don’t know what it would be like having a whole year come down to one track.”

When asked about his chances, van Gisbergen said he is just focused on progressing through the opening round which includes a road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but knows how critical his continual improvement on the ovals will be.

“We have had a pretty good run of playoff points through the road course stuff and on the ovals we are improving,” he said.

“Losing our crew chief (Bruce Schlicker) has hurt a lot. Bruce was a huge part of the Kaulig team on the Xfinity side.

“I have full confidence in Kevin Walter, the new guy but it is tough.

“When it changes mid season it is always tough to get that momentum going, especially after a three-week break.

“There are some tracks we have been to before with Watkins Glen coming up too. That will help us get that confidence and hopefully we can keep growing and get into a little bit of a better place team wise before the Playoffs start.

“The first round is a tough one. There is a road course but also Talladega and Kansas where I haven’t been before.

“There are some difficult races coming up, but you just have to survive the first round and have three good races.

“Especially with our playoff points that should help.”

This weekend NASCAR returns to Darlington, while the Playoffs start at Kansas on September 28.

Photo by LAT Images

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