Shane van Gisbergen is finding his rhythm on ovals
It is fascinating to watch Shane van Gisbergen get to grips with the complexities of oval racing. While his 11th-place finish at the Coca-Cola 600 might look modest, the reality for the No. 97 Chevrolet was much more impressive; he boasted an average running position of 7.81 and ranked seventh on sheer speed in a field of 39. A simple, painful error with a pit stop robbed him of the result he deserved, but the underlying performance shows he is becoming a serious factor.
His teammate Ross Chastain has clearly taken notice of the development. As Chastain pointed out, the transition to high-speed, banked asphalt is a massive shift for a driver who lacked that specific background, but van Gisbergen is simply learning the limit of these machines. With five top-15 finishes in 11 oval starts this year, including a career-best sixth at EchoPark Speedway, the growth is tangible.
He currently sits 14th on The Chase grid with a 28-point cushion. Van Gisbergen himself is embracing the challenge, noting how crucial it is to stay out of the mid-pack dogfights and earn his place among the frontrunners. It is a steep learning curve, but he is clearly putting the work in, as evidenced by his 10th-place starting position for the upcoming Cracker Barrel 400.
