Shane van Gisbergen reveals his “favorite tracks in his NASCAR career” ahead of Darlington race

Shane van Gisbergen has revealed that Darlington Raceway is one of his favorite tracks on the NASCAR calendar. He will return for the Cook Out Southern 500 on the track, driving for Kaulig Racing.

The #16 Chevrolet is set for van Gisbergen to step back into for the fifth time this Cup Series season. He will pilot the car at Darlington, the final race of the regular season. Speaking of the track, he revealed that although it promises a challenge for him, it is one of his favorite tracks on the calendar.

"I'm really looking forward to racing the Cup car at Darlington," Speed Cafe quoted him. "It's another oval that is a massive challenge for me, but I had a lot of fun racing the Xfinity car there in the spring."

"Darlington is one of my favourite tracks I've raced so far in my NASCAR career. It's a challenging track, but one I'm hoping to someday accomplish. Excited to have WeatherTech back on board this weekend. Hoping for another fun Saturday with my #97 Kaulig Racing team."

Shane van Gisbergen is currently racing in his rookie Xfinity Series season with Kaulig. So far, he has managed to bag three victories at Portland, Sonoma, and Chicago. His performances at road courses seem to be unmatched by his competition, however, Denny Hamlin feels that other tracks could prove difficult for him.

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Denny Hamlin feels Shane van Gisbergen would win at road courses, "and then find themselves 16th or better"

Shane van Gisbergen is set to make his full-time NASCAR Cup Series debut with Trackhouse Racing in the 2025 season. He will be behind the wheel of the #88 Chevy. In 2023, Van Gisbergen raced his first Cup Series race at Chicago with Trackhouse, and managed to come out on top.

As mentioned, his skills at road courses will give him an advantage. However, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin stated that he would be "shocked" to see Van Gisbergen finish in the top 25 next year.

"If SVG is top 25 in points next year, I would be-I'd be shocked, I really would," he said on Actions Detrimental. "He's likely just gonna go win a road course, and then find themselves 16th or better. And as long as they keep multiple road courses in the playoffs, he could go to the top eight."

Shane van Gisbergen's experience in Touring Cars and racing in the Supercars Championship has seemingly helped him master the road courses. But racing in the Cup Series as a full-time driver will prove his competitiveness on the ovals as well.