"I'm sure if it was an oval it would be the other way around"- Shane van Gisbergen elaborates on his chances on a NASCAR oval

After managing to blitz the entire NASCAR Cup Series field this weekend at the inaugural Chicago City Street Race, Shane van Gisbergen became the latest driver to jump on stock car racing fans' radars. The 34-year-old driver from New Zealand made his debut appearance in the highest echelon of the sport on Sunday, and managed to win NASCAR's first ever street-course race.

The Grant Park 220 saw Van Gisbergen behind the wheel of Trackhouse Racing's Project 91 entry. Having the advantage of racing full-time in the Australian V8 Supercars series, the three-time Supercars champion was already well-versed with the style of racing a heavy, full-bodied car required.

With his home series primarily consisting of street and road courses, Shane van Gisbergen also gained confidence from what was uncharted territory for NASCAR drivers.

When asked about his win tempting him to explore the sport further, he stayed humble and acknowledged the advantage he gained from the unique conditions. Van Gisbergen said in the post-race press conference:

"I'm sure if it was an oval it would be the other way around. This is my bread and butter, the street circuits we do almost half of our series' races are street circuits. So I'm confortable with the walls."

Shane van Gisbergen became the first driver in 60 years of NASCAR to win on his debut. The feat was last accomplished by Johnny Rutherfors at Daytona International Speedway in 1963.

Shane van Gisbergen elaborates on his NASCAR Cup Series learning process

In a press conference after his remarkable victory in Chicao, Illinois, Shane van Gisbergen talked about what the NASCAR Cup Series learning curve was like. Having driven full-time in a series similar to stock car racing with the Australian V8 Supercars, the 34-year-old was touted as having an advantage over someone like Kimi Raikkonen, who belongs to open-wheeled racing.

Van Gisbergen elaborated on his process and said:

"Took me a bit to learn the proximity of the car, having the car on the other side of me. I got better and better and in qualifying I left a lot on table. It's very intimidating on these straights you have a 90 degree corner and no run-off. Every lap today I was learning."

NASCAR heads to a traditional oval next weekend for the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.