Determined to ’stop’ his troubles, Shane van Gisbergen drops a blunt verdict on Trackhouse grappling with ‘nothing to show’

Three-time Supercars Champion Shane van Gisbergen expressed frustration with his results in his first full-time NASCAR Cup Series season. Driving the No. 91 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing, he acknowledged their potential after a strong showing at COTA, but admitted to struggles on ovals and multiple accidents, many of which were out of their control.

Gisbergen is known for his road and street course expertise, having earned 80 wins and 46 pole positions in his Supercars Championship career. Upon transitioning to NASCAR, he made an immediate impact with a victory in his 2023 debut at the Chicago street race.

Despite his early success on street courses, van Gisbergen has struggled to replicate that performance on oval tracks, qualifying outside the top twenty in his most recent races at Las Vegas and Phoenix. His sixth-place finish at Circuit of The Americas, a road course, highlights his potential while simultaneously underscoring his difficulties on ovals.

Talking to the media, Gisbergen reflected on the same and said,

"I feel like we've showed a lot of promise but we have nothing to show for it, really. COTA was a good day but on the ovals we've really struggled and we've had a lot of accidents and they haven't really been our fault."

"It's really tough results-wise but I see a lot of potential and speed. Just got it put it together and get to the end of the races and things will start clicking for us, I think," he added.

Adding to his troubles, Gisbergen has had a streak of bad luck, as he got collected in a multi-car wreck in Phoenix. After starting stage 2 at Phoenix in 33rd, he quickly made inroads to 19th place by the caution period on lap 92. However, in the restart, Gisbergen got caught up in a multi-car wreck caused by Chase Briscoe's No.19 Toyota Camry and consequently sustained enough damages to crash out of the race.

Additionally, his race at Las Vegas was plagued by multiple issues, including a spin, a right front puncture and a drive-through penalty for having too many crew members at the pit wall, resulting in a finish of 34th.

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"Good to lead a few laps": Shane Van Gisbergen on his race at COTA

The 35-year-old Shane Van Gisbergen expressed his satisfaction on leading laps and maintaining speed in the first two stages at COTA. However, he admitted to struggling on restarts, which led to a drop-off in stage three. Despite the setback, he remained optimistic and appreciative of his team Trackhouse Racing.

Van Gisbergen began the COTA race with a strong sixth-place qualifying effort. By lap 9, he made an aggressive inside move on Tyler Reddick to take the lead. He then employed an early pit stop strategy, but encountered tire issues that impacted his pace in the later stages. Ultimately, he finished the race in sixth, while Christopher Bell secured the victory.

Gisbergen shared his thoughts on the race result through a post on X, captioned:

"Good to lead a few laps today! We were good for the first two stages, the @WeatherTech Chevrolet had some speed but i just struggled a lot on the restarts and we faded in stage 3. Thanks @TeamTrackhouse for the weekend, bring on Phoenix."

Shane Van Gisbergen currently ranks 31st in the standings with 72 points to his credit, including a single top-ten finish and two DNFs. He's led 25 laps this season and is set to race at the 1.5 mile oval, Homestead-Miami on Sunday, March 23.