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Shane van Gisbergen is all set to run in a Marcus Ambrose throwback paint scheme from his 2012 Watkins Glen win at Darlington. Van Gisbergen was recently asked a few questions about Ambrose and a part of his response seemed to confirm that NASCAR is once again growing internationally.
Ahead of the Darlington weekend, Van Gisbergen was asked by a Fronstretch reporter about the influence of Ambrose in bridging the gap between NASCAR and Australia and New Zealand. He was also further questioned if he noticed more interest in NASCAR because of Ambrose's involvement.
"Yeah, a 100%. NASCAR got so much coverage, and when he stopped, it died off and now its come back again. It's pretty awesome to have that and hearing about people waking up early on a Monday morning or a Sunday morning to watch my races or Cup races, it's really cool," Shane van Gisbergen replied.
He also described how Ambrose went through exactly what he's going through, but that the transition isn't an easy one for him. However, he added that he's happy to see the ripple effects of his decision to come to NASCAR.
"I'm starting to see other guys coming to try too. There's two Supercar guys racing at Sonoma which is awesome. It's been cool to see and hopefully more of us keep coming over and having a go," he added.
Speaking about Marcus Ambrose, the Chicago Street race winner recently revealed how he turned to Ambrose for advice when his NASCAR opportunity first materalized. Shane Van Gisbergen claimed that Ambrose was one of the first people he called and so far, he has received a lot of help from him.
Shane Van Gisbergen has his eyes on a Cup seat for 2025
Talking ahead of Darlington, Van Gisbergen opened up on his season so far and what he's expecting to achieve going forward. Over his 12 starts this season across the Cup and Xfinity, he has one top-five and one top-10 finish.
"I haven’t really looked at the points too much. Obviously you want to make the playoffs, and road courses are my best shot with that, but being able to point my way in would be amazing as well. I think my position in 15th is probably better than my pace at the moment — that’s just from being consistent and finishing all the laps," Shane van Gisbergen said as per RACER.
He added that he wants "keep learning" and get better so he can earn a Cup seat for next season.
