NASCAR CUP -RESTIVING AT COTA COMES AT THE RIGHT TIME FOR SHANE VAN GISBERGEN

Nascar’s first away trail of the cup season comes at the right time for Shane van Gisbergen.

After a ninth place in the Clash Exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium to start February, the rest of the month was miserable for the Trackhouse driver.

At Daytona, Van Gisbergen went to a backup car for the 500 after his car was damaged in his qualifying race. He finished 33rd in the 500 after damage due to an early incident. Last weekend in Atlanta, Van Gisbergen was in position for a top-15 final before being picked up in a last round accident and placed the 23rd place.

The result is that Van Gisbergen enters the Sunday’s cup race at Circuit of the Americas (15:30 ET on Fox) 34th in the points.

The top two national series will do a new layout for the first roadway of the season.

This weekend is the first of five road courses in the regular season of the cup that can pave the way to make the playoffs.

The three-time Australian Supercars champion has excelled on Nascar’s road courses since winning in his cup debut in 2023 at the Chicago Street race.

“I just had a leap on them in Chicago,” said of Gisbergen of cup drivers. “Of course I had a wonderful car, a wonderful team, but I was used to the street lanes.”

Ross Chastain has the best average finish at Cota among active managers, but may face a challenge from teammate Shane of Gisbergen.

Of Gisbergen, 11 roadway started between Cup and XFinity, which won four times – one cup race and three XFinity races last year.

He almost won at Watkins Glen last year and finished second after Chris Buescher after a dramatic final shot. Van Gisbergen described the races as ‘epic’.

“The guys here are just as talented,” said Van Gisbergen about the cup drivers. “If you run every week, you’re going to get so good at it. I just see the preparation and the level here, it’s just as high. “

The Team Penske driver tends to avoid being fraternity with his Cup series peer groups.

Nascar will take part in another Cota track this weekend. Cup and XFinity will no longer run the 3.41-mile lane. Instead, both series will run on the national course, which is 1 mile shorter. The change, together with the increase in rounds of 68 to 95 for the cup race, is intended to give fans in the stadium area more rounds to see the action.

“We lose no passing places,” said of Gisbergen about the change on the track. “I think it’s probably a good thing, a shorter lane.”

For all the attention on Van Gisbergen’s success on road courses, his focus is elsewhere during the season.

“I just want to be someone you think of an oval,” he said. “I really want to get better with oval and a contender every week, not just five times a year.”