“I had no idea how it works”: Shane van Gisbergen details learning about ‘overcomplicated’ NASCAR playoffs 

Shane van Gisbergen recently talked about learning the complicated NASCAR playoff system. After winning races at Portland, Sonoma, and the Chicago Street Course in his debut Xfinity Series season, Gisbergen is now facing new challenges.

The 35-year-old driver is competing in the NASCAR playoffs for the first time. He was the No. 5 seed at the first playoff race in Kansas last Saturday.

In an interview with Autoweek on September 25, Gisbergen said he had to spend time studying the playoff system before the race. The New Zealand native currently drives the No. 97 car for Kaulig Racing and is set to join Trackhouse Racing full-time in the Cup Series next year.

"I studied it [last Monday] trying to understand how it works. The playoff system is crazy. It’s the most overcomplicated racing series I’ve been a part of, but I think it’s pretty cool. It’s great for the fans,” Van Gisbergen said.

Van Gisbergen also shared an article on X to help others understand the playoffs.

“One of my sponsors put out an article explaining the playoffs and how that all works. I had no idea how it works. It’s so complicated. So, I shared that on my pages,” he added.

Gisbergen's first playoff race at Kansas Speedway saw a strong eighth-place finish after starting in 22nd. It was his fourth-best finish on an oval.

Shane van Gisbergen is also the first driver from New Zealand to win a race in the Cup Series. He made his Cup Series debut at the Chicago Street Course last year and won the race.

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"Still probably a little way from winning outright" - Shane van Gisbergen on his chances in the NASCAR playoffs

Shane van Gisbergen is currently 8 points above the playoff cutline and feels optimistic about his performance.

He recently talked about being confident about all but three upcoming playoff tracks and added that he does not expect to win soon. However, he believes he is getting closer to finishing in the top five.

"There’s three tracks really that are worrying in the playoffs but the rest of them I’ve been to before and I know what to expect you know. So yeah, that’s going to be interesting to see second time around, how much I’ve improved and how competitive can I be on the ovals. But you know, still probably a little way from winning outright but we’re definitely closer to, you know, being in the top five on some good weekends. It’s good to be there,” Gisbergen said (via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Shane van Gisbergen will next race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, October 5.