"I'm really going to miss it": Shane van Gisbergen wins his 3rd Bathurst 1000 title ahead of 2024 NASCAR journey

New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen has won his third Bathurst 1000 title ahead of the beginning of his NASCAR journey. The Kiwi is expected to move to the American series with a contract already in place and an announcement made by Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks.

Van Gisbergen was able to win Australia's most prestigious race for the second consecutive year and third time overall. He was able to take their Red Bull Camaro to a 19.9-second win over Australians Brodie Kostecki and Dave Russell in the 60th-anniversary edition of the race on the Mount Panorama circuit on Sunday.

Shane van Gisrbergen is expected to move to NASCAR next season which makes each of his experiences like these very valuable.

As quoted by ESPN, the Kiwi was very emotional talking about his impending departure as he said he would miss everything about the event and one day would surely come back.

"We weren't the fastest car all week, but we worked on the car and Richie did a stellar job. I'm really going to miss it. I love this place, and I'll be back," he said.

Some time back, Shane van Gisbergen had announced a move to NASCAR, saying:

"This announcement means so many things to me. I'm proud of what I have achieved here in Australia, but I'm excited by this new chapter in my career and the opportunities that it brings."

Trackhouse racing team owner hoping to provide Shane van Gisbergen a variety of experience

Shane van Gisbergen is a three-time Supercars champion and his Triple Eight Race Engineering team competes under the Red Bull Racing brand.

His future boss and Trackhouse racing team owner Justin Marks said van Gisbergen's 2024 racing schedule will be tailored to provide him with a variety of NASCAR experience. The driver will be given time to acclimate before expecting a breakthrough from his side.

"This is going to be a tremendous challenge for Shane, but he is a tremendous driver as we have all seen. Next year will be about getting him acclimated to oval-track racing, superspeedways, 1.5-mile tracks, and everything he has never experienced in his career. It's obviously going to be a learning process, but we think Shane will perform quite well," Marks said.

It will be interesting to see how Shane van Gisbergen does as he adds his name to a plethora of names from New Zealand who have already become part of the motorsport fraternity.

Names like Brendon Hartley and Liam Lawson making it to F1 and achieving success in other categories are just some of the examples.