Shane Van Gisbergen: No. 88 Team 'Showing Improvement' on Ovals

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

As Shane Van Gisbergen has embarked on his rookie campaign in the NASCAR Cup Series, there was always the expectation that the Supercars champion would struggle, considering his lack of experience on ovals, and in full-bodied stock cars in general.

“I knew it was going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Van Gisbergen said Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “I’m so far out of my comfort zone, last year in Xfinity and the Cup races I did, so I knew it was going to be very, very difficult.”

Through the first three months of the season, it’s been rough, with the Auckland, New Zealand-native only collecting a single top-10 finish (a sixth at Circuit of The Americas, a road course) and a best oval finish of 20th.

That has left Van Gisbergen sitting a dismal 35th-place in NASCAR Cup Series point standings, as the second lowest full-timer, ahead of only Cody Ware in the Rick Ware Racing No. 51.

However, things may be starting to turnaround…

“If I had to sum it up, I guess it’s been difficult, but I feel like we’re getting better every week, we’re still learning,” said Van Gisbergen. “I didn’t expect to go out and get great results on ovals, but it has been very tough for sure. We’ve had a lot of issues at the start of the year with car stuff, pit stops, and myself not being good enough, but I feel like it’s turning around.”

At Darlington Raceway, one of the hardest tracks on the circuit, Van Gisbergen finished inside the top 20. Then, a month later, the No. 88 finished a solid 22nd at Texas Motor Speedway, and earned a top 20 again at Kansas Speedway – a pair of solid finishes on back-to-back mile-and-a-halfs.

The biggest show of strength on ovals came during an exhibition event at North Wilkesboro Speedway, when Van Gisbergen won the pole for the NASCAR All-Star Open, and led the first-half of the race, before a poor strategy call dropkicked him to the back of the pack.

Although the progress may not be super quick, it is indeed there.

“I think we’re showing improvement,” Van Gisbergen added. “It has been difficult results-wise. I do feel like we’re finally getting somewhere, we’re getting better and better and to me, I know I have a lot to learn, like I’m the problem, I guess, but I don’t feel like I’m forcing it – or driving outside my limits – I feel like every week I’m just being methodical about it, rather than forcing it, but I feel good about where it’s going. We can’t be finishing 30th every week, and I feel like we’ve improved on that.”

Sunday will mark Van Gisbergen’s second Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and although last season’s event got cut short due to precipitation, the three-time Xfinity Series race-winner is still feeling better about the race, due to his experience on the racetrack.

“It’s a track I’ve done more laps on, I did the race last year and I actually did the test here a month ago. It was an ECU test, all the rookies for each manufacturer, that was the first time I ever got to test a car on an oval so I got to play around with stuff, so that’s the first time not in race conditions, so I played around a little but and I think we’ve learned some stuff, so I think that’s kind of helped us the last few weeks.”

The silver lining is approaching quickly, though, with a stretch of road courses on the schedule including Mexico City, Sonoma, and the Chicago Street Course. Needless to say, Van Gisbergen is ready to hit those tracks.

“I’m looking forward to some right-handers, that’s for sure,” he quipped. “That’s going to be good, there’s some good tracks coming up, tracks I know and obviously Mexico is a fresh one for everyone, so I’m looking forward to it.”

After pacing the No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet inside the top-12 in NASCAR Cup Series practice, Van Gisbergen will start the Coca-Cola 600 from 30th. If the New Zealander looks to collect another solid mile-and-a-half result, he’ll have to make his way through the pack on Sunday evening.