“Yellows” are caution periods where the race slows down because of something on track. When that happens, teams often change their plan—especially when to pit and how to keep track position.
NASCAR races are broken into segments called stages. Teams plan around them because points and strategy can change depending on when you pit and how you manage tires and fuel.
“Gaps” means how much time is between you and the cars around you. Your team tells you the gap so you know whether you need to go harder or manage your pace to stay in control.
The pits are where the car stops during the race for service. When you pit (and how long it takes) can strongly affect your position and chances to win.
They talk about whether drivers who are especially good on road courses are changing how other teams prepare. The idea is that teams may be adjusting their strategy because road courses are becoming more important.
“Win and you’re in” is a rule where a race win can basically guarantee you move on to the next playoff step. The point the guest is making is that the system now rewards consistent points more than that older win-only shortcut.
NASCAR breaks many races into segments called stages. Finishing well in a stage earns extra points, which can help your season total even if you don’t win the whole race.
Practice is the time before the race where drivers and teams try things on the track. They use it to figure out how the car handles and make changes before qualifying and the race.
Term
points every week
NASCAR uses a points system to reward finishing position and consistency across the season. The idea of “maximizing points every week” means avoiding mistakes and aiming for strong finishes even when you’re not winning.
Ovals are NASCAR tracks shaped like an oval. They feel and drive differently than other tracks, so drivers often need extra practice and setup changes to do well there.
It means the team uses different race plans for different cars. That way, if one plan doesn’t work out, another might, and the team still has a better chance to win.
In NASCAR, “set up” refers to the car’s track-specific adjustments—especially suspension and handling balance—to make the car drive predictably in corners and under different tire and fuel conditions. Small setup changes can strongly affect speed and tire wear over a run.
Topic
Monster Mile (Delaware)
“Monster Mile” is the nickname for the NASCAR track in Delaware. It’s a one-mile oval where the race can be tough and strategy matters.
The all-star race is a special NASCAR event that isn’t like the normal points races. It’s a big deal and teams focus hard because the prize and attention are huge.
“Weightless” is what it feels like when the car loses some of its push down on you. It often happens when the track dips, and it can make the car feel floaty.
G-force is how hard the car is pushing you sideways or up/down while you drive. On a banked track, it can be really strong, which helps the tires stick to the road.
LIVE
I think as a team, we made all the right calls and managed it from that point onwards.
And yeah, it was just a great team victory.
But I feel like I'm getting closer to Ross every week.
Ross is a really good benchmark for me.
Welcome into the victory lap on Caitlin Vinci and so excited to have our most recent
winner at Watkins Glen, Shane Van Gisburgen joining us.
SVG, great to see you.
I know after the race, you mentioned that that was one of the best races you've ever
driven. Why?
Well, firstly, thanks for having me.
I don't know.
It's just good to put it all together.
I think the first half of the race, we drove, you know, with no mistakes and kind of
were just managing.
And then when the race went crazy with all the, you know, like the stages and the
yellows at the wrong time, I guess for us, I think as a team, we made all the right
calls and managed it from that point onwards.
And yeah, it was just a great team victory, I think.
Yeah, I was going to ask you that.
How is this kind of a testament to the overall team strength, the race you guys
were able to put together on Sunday?
Yeah, just not getting getting stressed or caught up in uncertainty.
You know, I think Steven was calm on the radio and so was Josh, just telling me the
gaps and telling me what I needed to do.
And yeah, it was, it was a worry when I first pulled out of the pits and store on
the big screen, you know, they were at the other end of the track.
It was a long way to go, but pretty cool to run them down in that amount of time.
You mentioned your crew chief, Steven Doran.
How has he been kind of the right fit for you?
You guys have been together for a little while now, but just establishing that
trust because he had very good calls obviously throughout the course of this event.
Oh, I just, you know, you work with him every week and we get along really good.
And just, I didn't second guess or challenges calls at any point.
Like I just trusted him and, you know, he said everything was such confidence.
And, you know, last year, I think, you know, it was only his second year as a
crew chief as well.
And I think we've just sort of grown together a bit and it's been really cool
seeing him grow as well and get more confident in everything.
So yeah, that was probably the best race he's done as well.
And it was awesome.
It was awesome.
The fan response was huge.
When I was out at Watkins Glen, I saw people with painted SVGs on their chests,
like in giant letters, it's been really, it's been really neat to see the fan
response and the way they've really embraced you.
What has that been like for you?
Cause you really haven't been over on the NASCAR side that long to already have
that amount of legion of fan support.
Yeah, it's pretty overwhelming, but it's awesome at the same time.
There's some pretty special people out there, but everyone's really nice and
friendly and it's really cool to be supported like that.
And, you know, especially I noticed it at a track that I'd won at before and
then the people coming back the next year, you know, how many models they were
to sign and how stoked they were, the memories they had from the last year.
So it was really special.
And yeah, it's cool and the amount of people that take days off work on a
Monday at home and watch the races, it's epic.
Yeah, they were pretty fired up.
Do you feel like the road course specialists, there's a few of you obviously,
are kind of changing the way some of these cup teams approach the road course races?
I think, yeah, in some ways I have noticed it, especially now, like they're worth
so many points now to get a win, like it's not win and you're in anymore, but
we saw how much of a leap it's done for me in the points.
So it's definitely worth putting in a big effort to try and score as many points as
possible and get the stage points.
So yeah, I feel like it's definitely gotten competitive.
There's, you know, there's 68 guys every week on a road course who can win and,
you know, a few more if they get it right.
So it's been really cool to see how competitive it is now.
Very competitive.
You mentioned the points.
You were able to pick up some spots as it pertains to the championship standings.
What's the mindset moving forward to the next stretch kind of races?
Because we won't have a road course for a little bit.
Yeah, we just got to keep accumulating, try and learn a little bit at Dover.
I'm looking forward to a long practice, getting to try some things and experiment a little bit
and then got some decent tracks coming up, especially Charlotte.
That was obviously awesome for us last year.
I was pretty competitive too and Ross won that race.
So yeah, looking forward to getting to those tracks and just got to keep trying to score
and maximize the many points every week and not make mistakes.
You earned your seventh career win, obviously, in the Cup Series.
Where do you feel like you're at in terms of being adapted to Cup Series racing?
Because you've admittedly said you want to be better on the ovals,
which you've made a lot of progress on those.
But where do you feel like you're at in terms of adapting?
Yeah, thank you.
It's still a long way to go.
I still have a lot to learn, but I feel like I'm getting closer to Ross every week.
And Ross is a really good benchmark for me.
He's someone who wins or should win races.
So yeah, I've got to match him most weeks and obviously Connor's very good too.
So yeah, just trying to get the most out of it I can every week.
But yeah, I still have a lot to learn.
It's showed that the last couple of weeks when we've struggled,
you can see those good drivers when they have a bad qualifying or something.
They can dig themselves out of that hole and I can't quite do that yet.
So yeah, it's just going to take me time.
Your team owner, Justin Marks, mentioned post-race that obviously
overall the organization hasn't necessarily been where they want to be.
But how do you feel like this gives a great boost of morale,
of momentum for the whole group?
I mean, what's the vibe been like this week at the shop?
Just how did this win just kind of help you eclipse that rough stretch
that was happening a bit there?
It's definitely a bit brighter in the shop now.
It's cool.
The last few weeks were a little rough and then Texas, there was some glimpses.
And then you could kind of feel this vibe or anticipation last week
as everyone's building the road course cars and getting them ready.
It was cool.
You could feel that buzz.
And then this week we took our team photo this morning and it was awesome.
Like, see how much it means to everyone.
And everyone's got their chests out.
It's a cool feeling.
And we just need to keep getting those good results
and keep everyone motivated.
And not like they weren't before, but a win certainly helps that.
What was Justin Marks's comments to you after the race?
I think he just wanted to get a picture of our dogs in Victory Lane.
That was pretty cool.
Yeah, we had a fun time with him and Aaron and their dogs.
Yeah, it was awesome.
It's what we needed to, he just kept saying,
one of us has to win today in our pre-race meeting.
There was no point Conor and I doing stupid stuff trying to one up each other.
We had to win as a team.
And I think we did a good thing splitting our strategies too
and covering all bases as a team.
So that was a really good job by the team to be a little bit defensive
but offensive at the same time and work together.
You mentioned the team aspect.
What is the area you've identified within the team that is a spot for improvement
that you're looking to really fine tune over the next couple of weeks?
Probably just consistency.
Yeah, I think some weeks we've got a top 15, top 10 oval car
and then the next where all three of us are running in the 30s.
So we just need to get a little more consistent.
There's obviously potential in our cars to do it.
Just trying to make the right calls every week on the set up
and be there from the start of the weekend.
Because when you're buried after qualifying,
it's so hard to make up that difference because everyone's so good.
So yeah, just starting our weekend strong is probably the focus.
Your next opportunity to start a weekend strong is in a few days up in Delaware.
Monster Mile, it's not a points pain race, but it is a big pain race.
If you win the million dollars obviously for the all-star race.
How is this weekend just kind of a fun off the script from what you guys normally are doing?
Well, we struggled at Bristol.
The concrete tracks normally and then the Chevy's in general weren't very good at Bristol.
So this is a similar type of track, obviously a lot faster.
So we have a few things to try to try and understand our cars and be a little better.
So having a long practice, we can try some things and I can try some things.
And yeah, it'll be a good weekend.
The format's a little confusing for Sunday, but we'll work that out when we get there.
Minor details, confusing format.
But this racetrack, it is a tough place mentally, physically.
Just kind of what have been your observations from racing at the Monster Mile in terms of
what challenges kind of lay ahead from the driver's seat?
Just how committed you have to be, the way that it dips into the corners of the track and
you kind of feel weightless.
And then the car really loads into the banking and you just have an insane amount of grip
because of the G-Force there.
And that takes a bit to get used to and something I'm not great at yet.
So I just need to keep focusing on getting better.
Yeah, when you're trying to lay a lap down there, it's amazing how fast it is.
It's a crazy track. Cars shouldn't be able to do that.
Well, you still have a few more days to celebrate this win.
What were the celebrations like?
Because you had a birthday, then you got a win.
Like what did you do to celebrate all these awesome moments?
Yeah, it was a really cool weekend.
And then after the race, everyone sort of come around home and
probably had more adult beverages than we should have.
4.30 in the morning, I think we finished.
So yesterday was pretty slow.
That's how it should be.
Congratulations again, SVG.
Great to see you and best of luck to you at Dover this weekend.
Thank you.
Cool. Thanks a lot. Good to talk to you.
About this episode
Shane van Gisbergen breaks down how his team executed the right strategy at Watkins Glen through stages and chaotic yellow timing, staying calm and using radio updates about gaps. He credits crew chief Steven Doran’s trusted calls and says the points system makes road-course results and stage points more critical. Shifting to Cup adaptation, he notes progress on ovals but still struggles to recover after bad qualifying. Looking ahead to Dover’s “Monster Mile,” he explains the banking, weightless dips, and intense G-forces.
Shane van Gisbergen breaks down his massive Watkins Glen International victory, playoff implications, Trackhouse Racing chemistry, NASCAR road course dominance, Ross Chastain relationship, post-race celebration, and the biggest moments from one of the most revealing NASCAR interviews of the year. On this episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Kaitlyn Vincie sits down with Shane van Gisbergen to discuss how he captured his first NASCAR Cup Series win of the season at Watkins Glen, what makes him so dangerous on road courses, his dynamic with teammate Ross Chastain inside Trackhouse Racing, and the unforgettable celebration that followed one of the biggest wins of his NASCAR career.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
