Van Gisbergen expecting to be ‘very strong’ 

The spotlight on Shane van Gisbergen will be fierce as he returns to the streets of Chicago this weekend.

Whilst he will be joined by fellow Supercars stars Will Brown and Jack Perkins, van Gisbergen will be the man to beat in both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series.

This is of course thanks to his heroics on debut back in 2023 when he stunned the field with a debut victory at the inaugural street race, whilst he did the same a year later in the Xfinity Series.

But the Kiwi’s case was only strengthened when he scored his first win of his rookie Cup Series campaign in crushing style by 16s at Mexico City.

The Trackhouse Racing driver admits it is hard not to get too romantic when he returns to Illinois, but feels ready to win.

“Every time I come back, I get the memories of the first-ever race, coming and doing really well here,” SVG said. 

“This city will always hold so many memories. I’m really looking forward to getting back on the streets of Chicago and hopefully getting a third win for the city and a second Chicago win for Trackhouse.

“We should be very strong this weekend. I know everyone is going to be better. 

“Last year was a big step up on competition and I know this year will be, too. We just have to continue to focus on us. 

“We’ve prepped very hard, spent last week’s simulator time on Chicago, so hopefully we get there this weekend and are solid.”

The secret to van Gisbergen’s speed is clear as he likens the Chicago layout to the Supercars street tracks such as Adelaide, Sydney, Hamilton and Gold Coast.

“It’s just like the tracks I’ve grown up racing on,” he said. 

“In Supercars there are a lot of street circuits on the schedule, so I’m comfortable with the walls. 

“It’s similar to a few tracks that I raced in Australia, whereas most of these guys aren’t used to street circuits. 

“Just something I’m comfortable with and have spent many years racing.”

Both the NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series races will be broadcast live on Fox Sports/Kayo.

The Xfinity Series race is from 6-9am on Sunday morning, while the Cup Series race is from 3.30-7.30am Monday morning.

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