“Maybe you could” - Shane van Gisbergen unsure of NASCAR’s divisive format working in V8 Supercars

The former V8 Supercar Championship driver Shane van Gisbergen was asked this week about his views on the V8 Supercars' new NASCAR-like playoff system, and he responded with skepticism at the new format. The new rules include fewer rounds and a shorter schedule compared to NASCAR.

The V8 Supercars announced some major changes for the 2025 season. Earlier the the title was awarded to the driver with the most points scored throughout the season and in case of a tie the driver with the most wins was declared the winner.

The new system includes an additional 10 races across 13 rounds and 1,200 km of more racing action. For the first time, the V8 Supercars series will have finals to determine the ultimate champion.

In 2025, the series will begin with the Sprint Cup with 25 races in eight rounds. This will be followed by the Enduro Cup which will have two races, the Bend 500 and the Bathurst 1000. The V8 Supercar series has reintroduced the Enduro Cup for the next season after excluding it in 2019.

The ten highest-point-scoring drivers in the 27 races in the Sprint Cup and Enduro Cup will advance to the finals, where points for the top ten drivers will be reset to 3000. In the final round, three drivers would be eliminated in each race, until the final four at the Adelaide 500. The eliminated drivers will continue to compete in races, just like NASCAR's playoff system.

The V8 Supercars Championship 2025 season will kick off on February 21 and end on November 30.

A fan shared a clip on X (formerly Twitter) of Van Ginsbergen, former V8 Supercar Championship Team Kiwi Racing driver, expressing his doubts about the new playoff system in an interview. When asked for his views, he said (via Sportsnaut),

"I don't know how you could do it there and make it work, but maybe you could."

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Shane van Gisbergen is still "understanding overcomplicated" NASCAR playoffs

Currently in his rookie year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the #97 driver Shane van Gisbergen shared that he faced issues learning the playoff system. After winning the Portland, Sonoma, and Chicago Street Course, the Kaulig Racing driver faced issues in understanding the complicated playoff rules.

The New Zealand native is competing in the playoffs for the first time and currently stands in tenth place in the round of 12. In an interview with Autoweek, he said he was studying the playoff system before the race even began. Van Gisbergen said,

"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.”

Meanwhile, the driver also shared an article on X about the playoff rules, writing,

“First round of the playoffs this week, for the fellow @NASCAR rookies like me, here’s a great article from my friends at @GiltrapGroup on how it all works”

In his rookie season, Shane van Gisbergen has won three races in the 2024 Xfinity Series season. He also became the first New Zealand driver to win a Cup Series race.