Shane van Gisbergen shares his journey adapting to NASCAR's unique challenges, including limited practice, intense oval racing, and evolving team dynamics. He reflects on his rookie mindset despite early success, the importance of continuous learning, and the differences between generations on track. Shane discusses his analytical approach to car setups, the value of experience in managing racing pressures, and the growing support from fans back home in New Zealand and Australia. The conversation offers insight into his transition from other racing disciplines and his outlook on competing in the highly competitive NASCAR environment.
Shane van Gisbergen joins Kevin Harvick on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour to break down his transition to NASCAR and the strong start to his season as he continues to prove himself on both road courses and oval tracks. In this episode, Harvick sits down with the former Supercars champion to discuss the biggest adjustments he has faced moving into NASCAR, how he has improved on ovals, and why switching to the No. 97 car carries personal significance for him. SVG also shares how his success in NASCAR is growing the sport’s popularity in Australia and New Zealand, what challenges he continues to face adapting to stock car racing in the United States, and what goals he has set for the remainder of the season.
0:00 - Intro
1:52 - Offseason Conversations With Trackhouse Racing
3:20 - Transitioning To Racing In NASCAR
8:27 - First Time Racing A Car
9:28 - International Support As A NASCAR Driver
12:42 - Cultural Differences Of Racing In The US
14:32 - Expectations At Trackhouse Racing
18:32 - Favorite Oval Races
20:05 - Significance Of Number 97
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"...for most of my NASCAR career. But what's been the hardest thing to kind of wrap your arms..."
NASCAR is a type of car racing where drivers race specially made cars on big tracks, mostly oval-shaped. It's very popular in the US and involves fast cars and close competition.
NASCAR is a popular American stock car racing series known for oval track racing and high-speed competition. It features cars that are specially built for racing on various types of tracks, including oval and road courses.
"...outside of the road courses or even road courses? It's probably different than what you wanted..."
Road courses are race tracks that have many turns and hills, not just simple loops. Drivers need to be good at turning and slowing down to race well on these tracks.
Road courses are race tracks that feature a variety of turns and elevation changes, unlike oval tracks. They require different driving skills and car setups, often emphasizing braking and cornering.
"No practice and then one lap of qualifying. Yeah. So you kind of drive out on a track"
A qualifying lap is a fast lap that a driver does before the race to see how good they are. The faster the lap, the better place they start in the race.
A qualifying lap is a timed lap that determines a driver's starting position in a race. Drivers often have limited chances to set their best time, which can add pressure.
"But whether it's got a 500 pound spring or a 1500, I don't care. But I want to know the difference of what it feels like and be able to help guide the team in the right way."
Spring rate means how stiff or soft the spring is in a car's suspension. A stiffer spring makes the car feel firmer, while a softer spring makes it feel smoother.
Spring rate refers to the stiffness of a suspension spring, usually measured in pounds per inch. It affects how much the spring compresses under load, influencing ride comfort and handling.
"I love learning about it and understanding the differences of my style and what the, you know, like a cross weight offset"
Cross weight means how the car's weight is spread diagonally across the tires, like front left and back right. It helps the car turn better when racing.
Cross weight is the percentage of the car's total weight that rests on the front left and rear right tires combined. It's a key setup parameter in racing to balance handling, especially on oval tracks.
"Probably in single seaters would have been 2004.
Yeah, 15, 15, over 20 years ago."
Single seaters are special race cars that only have one seat for the driver. They are made to go very fast and are used in racing competitions.
Single seaters are race cars designed for one driver, typically used in formula racing series. They are lightweight and built for high performance and speed on race tracks.
"Like, I saw you did the Red Bull stuff with your Red Bull teammates from from F1 and drifting."
Formula 1, or F1, is a top-level car racing series with very fast and special cars that race on different tracks around the world.
Formula 1 (F1) is the highest class of international single-seater auto racing sanctioned by the FIA, featuring the fastest and most technologically advanced race cars.
"Like, I saw you did the Red Bull stuff with your Red Bull teammates from from F1 and drifting."
Drifting is when a driver makes the car slide sideways on purpose while turning, which looks cool and takes skill.
Drifting is a driving technique where the driver intentionally oversteers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels while maintaining control through a corner.
"like the way the cars are set up to only turn one way, how they feel when you land in the banking and the aero disturbance from the others."
Aero disturbance is when the air gets messy around a car because of other cars nearby, making it harder to drive smoothly.
Aero disturbance refers to the turbulent airflow caused by one car that affects the aerodynamic performance of nearby cars, impacting handling and speed.
"But, you know, up the road at the Chevy tech center just blew my mind the first time I went there and all the little intricate details on the car"
Chevy is a big car company from America that makes many types of cars. They have special places where they work on making cars better and faster.
Chevy, short for Chevrolet, is a major American automotive brand known for producing a wide range of vehicles including performance and racing cars. The Chevy tech center is a facility where advanced automotive research and development takes place.
""Sounds good. It was a rotary. So yeah, yeah, it's crazy how much power it had and how good it sounded.""
A rotary engine is a special kind of engine that spins in a circle instead of using up-and-down pistons. It can make a lot of power and sounds different from regular engines.
A rotary engine is a type of internal combustion engine that uses a rotary design to convert pressure into rotating motion, rather than the traditional piston movement. It is known for its high power output relative to size and smooth operation.
"I love the fact that you actually understand the showmanship piece of it because it's it's part of your job."
Showmanship means doing cool things while driving to make the race more fun to watch, like spinning the car's tires to make smoke.
Showmanship in motorsports refers to the driver's ability to entertain and engage the audience through actions like burnouts, celebrations, and other dramatic driving maneuvers.
"still the Sonoma burnout in the Xfinity race was probably the most epic burnout that I've ever seen with Austin Hill."
The Xfinity race is a type of NASCAR race where drivers compete in cars that look like regular cars but are built for racing.
The Xfinity Series is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR, considered the second tier below the top-level Cup Series. It features many up-and-coming drivers as well as veterans.
"And it's pretty hard to beat a good burnout, isn't it? Especially when the other guys got his finger hanging out the window."
A burnout is when a car's wheels spin really fast while the car stays still, making smoke from the tires. People do it for fun or to get the tires ready for racing.
A burnout is a driving maneuver where the driver intentionally spins the wheels of the car while keeping the vehicle stationary, creating smoke from the tires. It's often done to warm up tires before a race or as a celebratory display.
""So what are the thoughts of where you think you need to be on the ovals to make the playoffs or to make the chase and do the things you need to do to get to the end of the year?""
The Chase is the name for the last part of the racing season where the best drivers race to see who wins the whole thing.
The Chase is another term for the NASCAR playoffs, a series of races at the end of the season where drivers compete for the championship through elimination rounds.
""So what are the thoughts of where you think you need to be on the ovals to make the playoffs or to make the chase and do the things you need to do to get to the end of the year?""
Playoffs are like the final rounds in a racing season where only the best drivers compete to become the champion.
In racing series like NASCAR, the playoffs (also called the Chase) are a postseason elimination format where drivers compete in a series of races to win the championship.
""Firstly, I definitely need to qualify better more consistently because stage points are just so important.""
Stage points are extra points drivers get during parts of a race, not just at the end. This helps them get more chances to win the overall championship.
Stage points are points awarded to drivers based on their position at specific segments (stages) of a race, used in series like NASCAR to reward consistent performance throughout the race, not just the final result.
"I had a pretty decent chance or opportunity to do what was called A1 GP at the time, a high level single-seater series."
A1 GP was a racing competition where drivers from different countries raced in the same kind of cars to see who was the best.
A1 GP was an international single-seater racing series that ran from 2005 to 2009, often called the 'World Cup of Motorsport'. It featured national teams competing in identical cars to emphasize driver skill.
"And but I loved V8 supercars, you know, and you could I could have gone to the Europe or World Route, but I don't know, I just always wanted to be V8 supercars. And in some ways, I wish I tried and saw could have seen how far I went."
V8 Supercars is a popular car racing series in Australia where big cars with powerful V8 engines race against each other.
V8 Supercars, now known as the Supercars Championship, is an Australian touring car racing series featuring modified production cars powered by V8 engines. It is known for close racing and strong manufacturer rivalries.
- Intro
- Offseason Conversations With Trackhouse Racing
- Transitioning To Racing In NASCAR
- First Time Racing A Car
- International Support As A NASCAR Driver
- Cultural Differences Of Racing In The US
- Expectations At Trackhouse Racing
- Favorite Oval Races
- Significance Of Number 97
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Follow on Spotify today.
I still feel like a rookie in some ways,
like I'm still learning so much.
The new generation, they really don't give a damn.
They'll just hit you for no reason.
The amount of Kiwis and Aussies, that daytonal was epic.
What's more expensive?
Racing or earning a farm?
Horses are a money pit.
I clean swimming pools, I paint in fences.
Hopefully when I finish, people will think of me as 97.
Go on.
Welcome.
Thanks for taking the time.
As always, I appreciate it.
We wanted to just catch up with you.
I think just going back to the start of your second full time
season, you've had a couple ovals now.
But what's it been like just being
able to go through the winter, start over again,
and kind of wrap your arms around everything
that you've learned so far?
Yeah, it's quite a bit different winter to last year
or summer.
I spent it in New Zealand again.
But yeah, it came back and it was good.
Last year was a little tough.
Like I was new.
The team was new.
Within Trackhouse, a lot of new people.
And there was a lot of learning process for everyone.
And we got really good people retention this year,
a lot of continuity.
And I think that makes a big difference,
working with Steven again and all the crew guys really.
There's only sort of been one change.
And I think we sort of just carried the momentum
and building blocks with sort of being doing the last half
of last year.
But it feels like, I mean, I don't know how you feel.
It feels like you've been here for a long time.
I don't know if it's just because of the way that you came in
and you started winning and everybody
recognized that you immediately were here right off the bat.
Does it feel that way to you?
Yeah, it's still gone quick, though.
Yeah, it's hard to believe it's been two full seasons already.
It has gone pretty quick, but I still feel like a rookie.
In some ways, like I'm still learning so much.
When you go back and you kind of analyzed last year
from everything else that you've raced in the past,
when you go back and you say, OK, this
is what we need to work on this year, what
was the off-season conversation like with Steve
and Steven and Justin and just your team in general is, OK,
this is what we need to do different to get going next year.
I don't know if we've really talked about it much.
It's just kind of.
We're going to have to have another meeting then.
We're kind of just all on the same wavelength.
I think the second time we went back to tracks,
like the gains were so big and we've really
got a notebook at most tracks now.
And I think just every weekend we seem
to be learning something and I don't know.
It's a lot of fun working with those guys every week.
It's fun to go in the shop on a Monday
and do our team meetings.
And I don't know, it just feels like it's stuff snowballing.
And there's no goals or expectations.
We just keep getting better.
And I think once that stops and we stop learning,
that's probably when we need to get together and figure things out.
But yeah, I think it would just keep keep learning
and keep getting better at the moment.
Has Steven ever raised his voice on the radio yet?
Have you ever heard him yell?
Yeah, probably Darlington.
All right. Yeah, Darlington.
I'm happy for that.
Yeah, he got wound up and, you know,
we were struggling at that one.
But yeah, I think the thing is with him,
we sorted it out the next week and he he needed
different information from me.
And yeah, it's hard on those hot days
not to throw the toys out of the cot.
So yeah, we got better.
When you when you look at the transition that you had,
what's been the this just gen seven cars
a little bit different than than what I raised
for for most of my NASCAR career.
But what's been the hardest thing to kind of wrap your arms
outside of the road courses or even road courses?
It's probably different than what you wanted
and what you have available to change.
What's been the hardest thing to wrap your arms
around to get to get used to?
No practice and then one lap of qualifying.
Yeah. So you kind of drive out on a track
and you only get two or three laps on a tire.
And then the grip really drops and then you kind of get comfortable.
And then you got to go and do qualifying
and you get one corner to feel what you got.
And it's just so hard to just go and do it.
I'm always I've been someone who needs time to build up
and ease into something.
And whereas here, everyone can just switch on so fast
and just go and not care about the consequences.
It seems so that's probably been the biggest adjustment
and something I got a lot better at later.
Yeah. How has it been in the transition?
Because this is kind of full contact.
I know as we've talked in the past, that was that was something
that was that was hard to get used to.
But it seems that you've settled in to moving people out of the way
when you need to or giving it back to somebody.
Has it been hard to change kind of your mindset
on just the etiquette of how you race?
It's been hard to embrace it.
I guess it's so different, you know,
like some of the old boys race very different to the younger guys,
like the new generation, they really don't give a damn.
They just hit you for no reason and have no patience
where I feel like the older guys will set up a past more,
have a bit more patience or just knock you out of the way
when you deserve it.
I feel like it's very different.
You kind of need to know who you're racing and I'm learning that.
But yeah, I feel like everyone's approachable
when you have a problem and you can work it out
and you move on pretty quick.
So you mentioned that the practice piece of it.
You go to the sim, obviously, do you use it as much on ovals
or do you use it more on ovals or the road courses?
We've probably used it less and less.
I find I find the sim you get too much of an idea
about something and you go there and it's not the same
and you might be stuck in your ways or techniques.
So I get more out of watching videos really and SMT stuff
and just study the good guys, see what they do
and try and emulate that.
I find the sims are good and the teams really love the sims
for setup, but as a driver, I kind of get more out of video stuff.
Do you get involved in the setup stuff because from the outside
looking in, I view you as kind of a nerd as far as the data
and stuff because I shouldn't say nerd.
I should say student because you're good at analyzing that stuff
and critiquing yourself.
Is that something that you've always done?
I guess that's fair.
Like I love understanding why a car works and what makes it fast.
But whether it's got a 500 pound spring or a 1500, I don't care.
But I want to know the difference of what it feels like
and be able to help guide the team in the right way.
So definitely the road course stuff.
I feel like I've influenced that a bit.
But the oval, I don't know what's good yet,
but I love learning about it and understanding the differences
of my style and what the, you know, like a cross weight offset
that I run different to Ross and understanding why I'm different.
It's cool to learn about that.
So when you look at your like on the oval stuff,
when you look at your team last year, you had Daniel and Ross.
This year, you've got Connor and Ross.
Are there characteristics that you look at and you're like,
how do you drive the car that way that you've developed yourself
that have become what you want in the car and you know that?
Yes, especially Daniel.
His driving style was very different to Ross's.
And I kind of moved towards Ross's style.
And then, but our setups have to be different the way I seem to drive.
And then Connor's come in with a clean slate,
but basically, and he's very different again.
So it's kind of cool figuring that out.
And it'll be cool watching him go through the process I did last year.
How much do you think that your maturity
has helped you with where you're at with your age?
I view your racing IQ as super high.
If you had done this 15 years ago,
probably would have been a lot different, right?
You look at a kid like Connor,
just going to get swallowed by the world with everything that you've got going on.
It's information overload.
He's obviously fast, but there's just way more to it than that.
How do you think that has helped you with everything that you've experienced
in your racing career, being able to move across the world
and do all the things that you've been able to do in the cup car
and be comfortable with it?
Yeah, I think it certainly helped.
But if you're referenced to Connor like the tools and the experience
the kids have over here at this age, it's amazing how far ahead he is.
Being 18 and when I was 18, it's very impressive.
The grounding kids have here and you see it with Keelan as well.
It's very, very cool.
But yeah, I think it has helped me like bringing
different outlooks on everything and trying to help even with processes
in the team, driving for a lot of other teams,
maybe things they've done better and with debriefs and stuff like that.
So I feel like that's kind of helped us get better as a team, too.
So, yeah, hopefully I've added to positive things.
So when was the first time you got to race a car, a full size car?
Probably in single seaters would have been 2004.
Yeah, 15, 15, over 20 years ago.
By the time you're 15 here and today in the US,
that's hard to explain to people all around the world.
It's probably weird to like when the rules are just different.
Yes, I moved to Australia to race when I was 18.
But yeah, it seems to be the kids are in late models when they're 15 at the latest here.
It's very different.
Yeah, you've had a great start to the year.
You ran well at Daytona, you had a great finish at Atlanta.
I think you would assess that as a success for the first two ovals.
Is that fair? I think so, yeah.
I think we had a good run at Daytona.
Like I felt comfortable running up front and cars felt really good.
And then Atlanta, we made it harder than we should have.
But yeah, like we've had speed, which has been great.
And I'm still making a few mistakes, but it's part of learning.
But definitely feel like we're on the right track speedwise.
So you're on a pretty short list of international winners
that that have won in this sport.
And I just I wonder, I'm curious, because when you go home now,
how do they what's the perception of what you're doing now?
Have they embraced it?
Are there more NASCAR fans at home?
How did how did that how did that go for you when when you go home
when you went home this year after being in five races?
This year, I didn't really do anything public.
I sort of just stayed with my friends.
But it's been amazing seeing the social media
and how many people follow the races and say they don't go to work on Mondays.
It's all Monday mornings there. Oh, wow.
It's been awesome to watch them just to watch the race.
Yeah, they're all Monday morning races for us or for them over there.
And yeah, but the support and all the news articles every week
on the on the racing websites there.
It's been, yeah, it's been pretty humbling to see
how many people support me and really, really cool.
And then people that come to the races like the amount of Kiwis and Aussies
that daytonal was was epic.
It was pretty wild.
We had we had a couple of Australians that we had on the on the pre race,
just given asking questions and wanting to know that's that's quite a commitment.
But I think when you look at that,
I mean, how do you how do you view the growth of NASCAR
and in that part of the world?
Like, I saw you did the Red Bull stuff with your Red Bull teammates
from from F1 and drifting.
When you go do those types of events, are they curious about NASCAR
and what's happening here?
Yeah, and they all just ask why the ovals are so difficult.
That's the number one question. But yeah, what do you tell them?
I mean, it's just so hard to explain.
Like, it's it's like, you know, why they struggle on a road course.
Most drivers, because they haven't done it all their life.
It's just it's a completely different discipline of driving,
like the way the cars are set up to only turn one way,
how they feel when you land in the banking and the aero disturbance from the others.
It's I don't know where to start.
It's a completely different sport.
Do you for me, when I went to Europe, they think it's a four car garage
and you go to the dealership and pick up a car and get a group of guys to work on it?
Do you think that they do you think globally people understand
how sophisticated NASCAR racing is?
No, and I didn't before I come here, they look and it's like the sport
likes to think it or tell people about that, that they're simple,
big V8 American race cars.
But, you know, up the road at the Chevy tech center just blew my mind
the first time I went there and all the little intricate details on the car
and how much they matter and the tolerances, build quality.
It's amazing the technology here.
And I don't think that side gets told very well on purpose or not.
Yeah. Does NASCAR racing in general?
Do you think it has more than what you had in the supercars?
Oh, yeah, by far, yeah. So they're a long way behind.
We we didn't have driving sims.
They had the setup simulators, but nothing for, you know,
the driving or the body scanning, anything like that.
Like the tolerances, I think 10 millimeters where it's here,
it's less than a millimeter, the legal legal rules.
So it's very, very different.
What's been the biggest cultural shock as far as just coming to America
to race and as far as the garage, as far as the people
and how the how the motor homes are set up?
Because in NASCAR, everybody's literally six feet apart all the time.
Yeah. In the motor home lot.
Do you have have you developed friends in the motor home lot?
I think it's the mindset is the biggest difference.
I think what you have to be when you have a bad weekend at home,
it would eat me for weeks, whereas here I kind of let it happen for a day.
And then you've got to switch your mind back and reset so quick
because it's every single weekend and you've got to keep that level head all year.
Whereas at home, if you have a bad weekend, it just kills you.
So it's so, so different here and no one I can, when you make mistakes here,
it's people pick you up and let's go again, do it better next time.
It's a very different mindset and it's quite fun.
In the NASCAR garage, who's your who's your best buddy?
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