"It drives like a forklift": Shane van Gisbergen’s Next Gen car assessment comes to surface from Talladega

NASCAR driver Shane van Gisbergen recently shared his verdict on the performance of the Next-Gen cars. The Next-Gen car made its official debut in the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 2022. Several NASCAR drivers have had mixed reactions to the performance of the car, however, van Gisbergen expressed he 'likes' the Cup Series Next-Gen car.

Shane van Gisbergen pilots the #97 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing, competing full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He is a three-time Australian Supercars champion and also made a statement NASCAR debut by winning the 2023 Cup Series' Chicago Street Race, showcasing his road course mastery.

Following the end of the Ag-Pro 300 Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, van Gisbergen, who is in his rookie full-time season in the Xfinity Series outlined his preferences between the Next-Gen Cup car and the Xfinity series car. Sportsnaut journalist Matt Weaver shared the Kiwi's words on X (formerly Twitter):

"I like the Cup car because it feels like every other car in the world I've driven and then I got in the Xfinity car and had no idea what was happening. It drives like a forklift, the way the rear end moves, how it drives but if you speak to drivers here, they like it better." SVG said in April

Meanwhile, in his rookie Xfinity season, van Gisbergen secured his spot in the playoffs, however, he did not advance past the Round of 12. In 33 race starts, Shane van Gisbergen secured 3 race wins, 3 pole positions, and 7 top-five finishes.

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"I've had a really good year": Shane van Gisbergen reflects on rookie Xfinity season amid move to Cup Series in 2025

Shane van Gisbergen secured his move to NASCAR's premiere division for the 2025 season. In the last week of August, Trackhouse Racing announced SVG as the driver of their #88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

The New Zealand native also competes part-time in the Cup Series, piloting Kaulig Racing's #16 Chevy. His best finish in the Cup Series came at Watkins Glen, where he finished second to RFK Racing's Chris Buescher, who played spoiler in the Round of 16 playoff race.

Following the end of the championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway, van Gisbergen reflected on his performance in the 2024 Xfinity Series. In conversation with Frontstretch, he said:

"I've had a really good year and I'm glad we got to do this year with Kaulig Racing, did a year of Xfinity rather than jumping straight into Cup. I've had a really good year of learning and even though the cars are very very different, I think it was worthwhile doing so. I'm pretty excited for next year and getting together with the Trackhouse guys but thankful to Kaulig Racing, what they've done for me and how they've helped me prepare for next year," [00:25]

Meanwhile, Cup Series teams 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports' efforts to acquire a third charter, mirroring Trackhouse, have been clouded with doubt as both teams are in a legal battle with NASCAR.