“He’s pretty old”: Shane van Gisbergen opens up on post-race moment with Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Bristol 

Shane van Gisbergen shared his post-race moment with Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Bristol Motor Speedway. The New Zealander is running his full-time schedule with Kaulig Racing while the North Carolina native registered his maiden run of the season for JR Motorsports.

SVG was fresh from a top-5 finish at Watkins Glen and eyed to churn another promising result in the season finale at Bristol. However, he couldn't match the frontrunner's pace and started his Food City 300 race from 34th place. But he climbed multiple track positions for a 30th-place finish in Stage 1, 23rd in the second stage, and 18th in the final stage.

On the other hand, Dale Earnhardt Jr. went from a disappointing start to becoming the best JRM finisher. He started 13th but encountered a barrage of problems concerning his radio and was slapped with a pit road speeding penalty when he entered the pit lane to solve the radio issue.

The Bristol race was the first time Shane van Gisbergen and Earnhardt Jr. battled in a NASCAR event. As a result, after wrapping his 300-lap run, the former shared a post-race moment with the latter. When asked about his exchange with Junior, SVG poked fun at the former being "old" and replied (via Dirty Mo Media on X).

“I was helping him out of the car, he’s pretty old you know. We had a pretty fun race at the start and let him go. Then on the cooldown lap, he's smashing into me. A lot of fun, cool to share the track with him and just race here, what a really good place," van Gisbergen said.

The Kaulig Racing driver will be promoted to full-time Cup racing for Trackhouse Racing in 2025 and will field the #88, tamed by Junior at the Bristol race.

"Who knows how far we can go": Shane van Gisbergen after punching his career-first NASCAR Playoff ticket

Shane van Gisbergen's NASCAR debut made him a hot topic in the community. He kicked off his maiden Cup Series run at the Chicago Street Course and clinched the win. He next competed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and bagged a tenth-place finish.

His ability to gel in NASCAR caught many team owners' eyes and thus, the 35-year-old landed a full-time deal with Kaulig Racing to field their #97 Chevy in the Xfinity Series. Moreover, SVG is on a part-time Cup schedule for the same team and emerged runner-up at Watkins Glen after a fiery last-lap battle with Chris Buescher.

Van Gisbergen has secured three wins, six top-5s, and eight top-10s in the Xfinity Series. His triumphs have guaranteed his playoff spot and the Bristol race marked his regular-season finale.

After wrapping up his Food City 300 race, SVG spoke about heading into the playoffs. He said (via PRN on X).

"We're having a lot of fun. Keep having fun, keep improving and who knows how far we can go," van Gisbergen said.

Shane van Gisbergen will team up with Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez as Trackhouse Racing will expand to a three-car Cup Series team.