Motorsports

South Georgia Motorsports Park hosts Division 2 doubleheader event

The following are Friday’s final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park: COMPETITION ELIMINATORDavid Eaton, Merritt Island, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/AA, 6.815, 167.22 def. Santo Volpe, Palm Bay, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/EA, 7.852, 151.65. SUPER STOCKMike Crutchfield, Montgomery, Ala., ’08 G5, SS/DM, 9.086, 145.78 def. […]

Published

1 month ago

May 31, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The following are Friday’s final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park:

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
David Eaton, Merritt Island, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/AA, 6.815, 167.22 def. Santo Volpe, Palm Bay, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/EA, 7.852, 151.65.

SUPER STOCK
Mike Crutchfield, Montgomery, Ala., ’08 G5, SS/DM, 9.086, 145.78 def. Michael Bryant, New Orleans, La., ’15 Camaro, SS/FA, 9.687, 138.48.

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Terry Taylor, Lumberton, N.C., ’72 Corvette, G/SA, 11.350, 100.25 def. Jeff Longhany, Wade, N.C., ’00 Corvette, B/SA, foul.

SUPER COMP
Chris Childress, Spartanburg, S.C., ’00 Horton, 8.862, 172.89 def. Allan Ackles, Bradenton, Fla., ’08 Mullis, 8.851, 179.68.

SUPER GAS
Sherman Adcock, Cataula, Ga., ’19 Corvette, 9.843, 169.06 def. David Griffith, Winter Garden, Fla., ’67 Camaro, foul.

SUPER STREET
Kevin MacNicol, North Port, Fla., ’69 Firebird, 10.873, 132.97 def. Jacob Rutledge, Powder Springs, Ga., ’79 Capri, 10.868, 130.38.

TOP SPORTSMAN
Bruce Thaxton, Butler, Ga., ’03 Mustang, 7.480, 181.20 def. Jackie Robison, Greer, S.C., ’66 Nova, 6.732, 200.44.

TOP DRAGSTER
Kelsea Hinkle, Danville, Ky., ’11 Miller, 6.967, 184.67 def. George Ebel, Naples, Fla., ’19 Dragster, 7.228, 182.77.

The following are Friday’s final qualifying results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park:

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
1) Wes Leopold, Bethel Park, Pa., ’05 Stratus, A/SMA, 7.884 seconds, -0.586 (under index)
2) Steve Johnson, Spartanburg, S.C., ’85 Camaro, F/SM, 8.755, -0.545
3) Santo Volpe, Palm Bay, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/EA, 7.349, -0.521
4) Monty Bogan, Boiling Springs, S.C., ’07 G5, E/SMA, 8.499, -0.471
5) Joel Warren, Clinton, N.C., ’08 G5, H/AA, 8.749, -0.451
6) Jared Kimbrough, Pace, Fla., ’09 Prostart, C/ED, 7.500, -0.410
7) John Frech, Cortland, Ohio, ’88 RED, F/D, 9.239, 0.679
8) David Eaton, Merritt Island, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/AA, 11.815, 4.665

SUPER STOCK
1) John Fogle, Norway, S.C., ’05 Cavalier, GT/HA, 9.569 seconds, -0.931 (under index)
2) Jeff Adkinson, Damascus, Ga., ’13 Copo Camaro, FSS/F, 9.338, -0.862
3) Don Barber, Hohenwald, Tenn., ’96 Avenger, FGT/E, 9.171, -0.829
4) Stephen Johnson, Gadsden, Ala., ’67 Fairlane, SS/D, 9.383, -0.817
5) Marion Stephenson, Williamsport, Ind., ’06 Cobalt, GT/GA, 9.584, -0.816
6) Dennis Steward, Port Orange, Fla., ’90 Daytona, GT/KA, 10.101, -0.799
7) Richard Bierie, Acworth, Ga., ’22 Copo, FSS/B, 8.408, -0.792
8) Victor Cagnazzi, Mooresville, N.C., ’18 Copo, FSS/F, 9.413, -0.787
9) Ronnie Dutton, Southside, Ala., ’80 Monza, GT/QA, 10.973, -0.777
10) Robert Cameron, Porter, Texas, ’96 Firebird, SS/JA, 10.225, -0.775

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1) Jimmy Hidalgo, Donaldsonville, La., ’04 GTO, F/SA, 10.837 seconds, -1.013 (under index)
2) Mike McMahan, Punta Gorda, Fla., ’89 Corvette, G/SA, 10.997, -1.003
3) Marion Stephenson, Williamsport, Ind., ’15 Copo, FS/D, 9.625, -0.975
4) Kevin Loehle, Brightwaters, N.Y., ’15 Copo, FS/D, 9.635, -0.965
5) Anthony Bongiovanni, Hopatcong, N.J., ’10 CJ, FS/A, 8.757, -0.943
6) John Duzac, Covington, La., ’70 Camaro, D/S, 10.568, -0.932
7) James Schaechter, Cumming, Ga., ’65 Nova, H/S, 11.071, -0.929
8) Anthony Hughes, McDonough, Ga., ’66 Nova, K/SA, 11.769, -0.881
9) Victor Cagnazzi, Mooresville, N.C., ’23 Copo, FS/C, 9.438, -0.862
10) Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’23 Copo, FS/C, 9.473, -0.827

TOP SPORTSMAN
1) Douglas Crumlich, Douglasville, Ga., ’63 Corvette, 6.624 seconds, 210.41 mph
2) Jackie Robison, Greer, S.C., ’66 Nova, 6.718, 205.04
3) Bruce Duncan, Crawfordville, Fla., ’05 Colbart, 6.744, 207.69
4) Thomas Schmidt, Lakeland, Fla., ’10 GXP, 7.075, 197.68
5) John Gifford, Naples, Fla., ’10 Cobalt, 7.373, 184.83
6) Frank Altilio, Longwood, Fla., ’02 S 10, 7.455, 182.28
7) Bruce Thaxton, Butler, Ga., ’03 Mustang, 7.467, 181.59
8) Michael Scott, Lakeland, Fla., dragster, 7.469, 184.70
9) Kendall Barnes, Brunswick, Ga., ’05 Grand Am, 7.493, 183.67
10) Mark Roberts, Orange Lake, Fla., ’63 Corvette, 7.493, 179.71

TOP DRAGSTER
1) Robert May, Kinsey, Ala., ’24 Nelson Racecraft, 6.206 seconds, 224.47 mph
2) Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’14 American, 6.235, 222.84
3) Wayne Brooks, Monroe, Ga., ’19 Worthy, 6.290, 222.77
4) Matthew Buck, Lamtama, Fla., ’25 Miller, 6.325, 210.14
5) Casey Spradlin, Ranburne, Ala., dragster, 6.374, 222.69
6) John Platt, Cocoa, Fla., ’09 Tackash, 6.405, 209.75
7) Vance Houston, Newland, N.C., ’15 Race Tech, 6.542, 209.75
8) Steve Furr, Harrisburg, N.C., ’13 American, 6.597, 219.47
9) Darryl Childress, Spartanburg, S.C., ’25 Maddox, 6.644, 199.32
10) Tisha Wilson, Salisbury, N.C., ’25 Racetech, 6.696, 198.70

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NASCAR North Wilkesboro Auto Racing |

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9 minutes ago

July 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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Van der Zande leads the way in first IMSA practice at CTMP

Tower Motorsports led Friday afternoon’s first practice session for IMSA’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. While Sebastien Bourdais is unavailable this week due to commitments in Brazil with the FIA World Endurance Championship, his substitute – former Cadillac Racing co-driver Renger van der Zande – was the quickest driver in the 90-minute […]

Published

30 minutes ago

July 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Tower Motorsports led Friday afternoon’s first practice session for IMSA’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

While Sebastien Bourdais is unavailable this week due to commitments in Brazil with the FIA World Endurance Championship, his substitute – former Cadillac Racing co-driver Renger van der Zande – was the quickest driver in the 90-minute session. Van der Zande set a 1m08.402s in the orange and black No. 8 ORECA 07-Gibson to lead the way in LMP2.

United Autosports USA’s two cars finished second and fourth with the No. 2 of Ben Hanley timing in three-tenths ahead of the No. 22 of substitute driver Tom Blomqvist. Dane Cameron in the No. 99 AO Racing car was third quickest.

TDS Racing’s Steven Thomas had only completed two laps when he went off at Turn 1 and crashed into the tire barriers, bringing out a red flag. The car was towed back to the paddock with heavy left-rear damage, though Thomas was uninjured.

Before the event, PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports also confirmed a driver change for this weekend: Nick Boulle, who won the 2024 IMSA LMP2 title in the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen car (joint-entered by Inter Europol Competition), will join Daytona podium finisher Benjamin Pedersen. They replace Rodrigo Sales and Mathias Beche, respectively.

Sporting a red and black one-off livery, the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 set the pace in GTD PRO.

Andrea Caldarelli set a 1m15.580s early on, putting him almost half a second up on the No. 4 Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Nicky Catsburg in second. This was despite the Lamborghini receiving a significant weight increase and power reduction in the latest Balance of Performance adjustments.

Vasser Sullivan Racing’s Lexus RC F GT3s were next in the order, with the No. 12 car of Jack Hawksworth leading the GTD class, and the No. 14 of Ben Barnicoat sitting third in GTD PRO. Their quickest times were separated by just five-thousandths of a second.

Rounding out the top three in GTD were the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, and the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3.

Practice 2 starts tomorrow at 10:35am ET.

RESULTS

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Motorsports

Sonoma Starting Lineup: July 2025 (NASCAR Xfinity Series)

NASCAR starting positions for Sonoma Raceway Tomorrow, the NASCAR Xfinity Series takes the green flag in Sonoma, California. Now, the field rolls to the road course of Sonoma Raceway for a round of practice and qualifying. View the Sonoma Starting lineup for the NASCAR Xfinity Series below. Sonoma MenuARCA: Prac/Qual | RaceXfinity: Prac/Qual | RaceCup: Prac/Qual | […]

Published

32 minutes ago

July 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NASCAR starting positions for Sonoma Raceway

Tomorrow, the NASCAR Xfinity Series takes the green flag in Sonoma, California. Now, the field rolls to the road course of Sonoma Raceway for a round of practice and qualifying.

View the Sonoma Starting lineup for the NASCAR Xfinity Series below.

Sonoma Menu
ARCA: Prac/Qual | Race
Xfinity: Prac/Qual | Race
Cup: Prac/Qual | Race

Sonoma TV Schedule

Sonoma Raceway
Starting Lineup
July 12, 2025
NASCAR Xfinity Series

Pos | Driver | Best Time

1. Shane van Gisbergen
1:15.259

2. Connor Zilisch
1:15.503

3. William Sawalich
1:15.881

4. Sam Mayer
1:15.644

5. Jesse Love
1:15.839

6. Sammy Smith
1:15.890

7. Carson Kvapil
1:16.168

8. Brandon Jones
1:16.193

9. Sheldon Creed
1:16.208

10. Justin Allgaier
1:16.443

11. Taylor Gray
1:16.281

12. Blaine Perkins
1:16.339

13. Anthony Alfredo
1:16.372

14. Corey Day
1:16.432

15. Riley Herbst
1:16.439

16. Austin Hill
1:16.502

17. Jeb Burton
1:16.630

18. Josh Williams
1:16.785

19. Harrison Burton
1:16.809

20. Alex Labbe
1:16.895

21. Christian Eckes
1:17.046

22. Connor Mosack
1:17.075

23. Nick Sanchez
1:17.137

24. Matt DiBenedetto
1:17.194

25. Josh Bilicki
1:17.237

26. Sage Karam
1:17.270

27. Ryan Ellis
1:17.312

28. Kris Wright
1:17.355

29. Ryan Sieg
1:17.365

30. Jeremy Clements
1:17.369

31. Daniel Dye
1:17.390

32. Brennan Poole
1:17.478

33. Austin Green
1:17.559

34. Parker Retzlaff
1:17.574

35. Dean Thompson
1:17.591

36. Will Rodgers
1:17.696

37. Kyle Sieg
1:18.073

38. Brad Perez
1:18.566

Failed to qualify

Austin J Hill
1:18.672

Sonoma Raceway
Practice Results
July 11, 2025
NASCAR Xfinity Series

Pos | Driver | Best Time

1. Connor Zilisch
75.271

2. Jesse Love
75.896

3. Shane van Gisbergen
76.134

4. Sheldon Creed
76.155

5. Sammy Smith
76.174

6. Nick Sanchez
76.196

7. Justin Allgaier
76.268

8. Anthony Alfredo
76.355

9. Sam Mayer
76.466

10. Brandon Jones
76.468

11. Riley Herbst
76.521

12. Carson Kvapil
76.865

13. Harrison Burton
77.027

14. Blaine Perkins
77.107

15. Jeb Burton
77.212

16. Christian Eckes
77.255

17. Austin Hill
77.258

18. Josh Bilicki
77.274

19. Taylor Gray
77.385

20. Austin Green
77.402

21. Ryan Sieg
77.475

22. Kris Wright
77.499

23. William Sawalich
77.525

24. Kyle Sieg
77.529

25. Will Rodgers
77.625

26. Dean Thompson
77.667

27. Ryan Ellis
77.702

28. Corey Day
77.727

29. Alex Labbe
77.743

30. Sage Karam
77.845

31. Daniel Dye
77.944

32. Josh Williams
77.964

33. Jeremy Clements
77.984

34. Connor Mosack
78.076

35. Matt DiBenedetto
78.286

36. Austin J Hill
78.317

37. Parker Retzlaff
78.392

38. Brad Perez
78.681

39. Brennan Poole
78.755

Links

Sonoma Raceway | NASCAR

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Motorsports

Jimmie Johnson-owned NASCAR team secures new partnership – Motorsport – Sports

NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club has announced a major sponsorship extension with Dollar Tree ahead of the Cup Series team’s trip to Sonoma Raceway. The team revealed on Tuesday that it had come to an agreement to extend its deal with the discount store, which began in January 2024, that will see the […]

Published

33 minutes ago

July 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club has announced a major sponsorship extension with Dollar Tree ahead of the Cup Series team’s trip to Sonoma Raceway.

The team revealed on Tuesday that it had come to an agreement to extend its deal with the discount store, which began in January 2024, that will see the brand represented on Erik Jones’ No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE and John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 42 – whose In-Season Challenge battle is heating up – through the 2028 season.

“Having such a recognizable brand like Dollar Tree with us for years to come gives the CLUB stability and energy,” Jones said in a statement. “We are building a legacy together and hope to enjoy success for years to come.”

Nemechek also wrote a statement, reading, “It’s an honor to continue carrying the Dollar Tree brand on our cars. Their support helps us deliver results on track, bring value back to their vendor partners and helps build fandom of the CLUB.”

Meanwhile, Legacy Motor Club CEO Cal Wells III described the chain as “a foundational partner,” adding that “Their continued investment and commitment will enable us to execute our competitive vision and strengthens our ability to support championship aspirations.”

Ricky McNeely, the chief marketing officer for the retailer valued at $22.8 billion, added that the brand was “excited” about this new extension. “This continued collaboration puts our brand in front of millions of loyal NASCAR fans and gives us the opportunity to drive deeper engagement with customers in a bold, high-energy environment. We’re looking forward to what’s ahead with Jimmie, John Hunter, Erik, and the entire Legacy Motor Club team.”

The ongoing Cup Series season has been a solid one to date for Legacy, with both Jones and Nemechek regulars in the top 20. Jones has managed to work his way into the top 10 on three occasions, including season-best finishes of fifth at Texas Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. As for Nemechek, he’s cracked the top 10 six times, with his fifth-place finish at the Daytona 500 his best of the year.

However, the team’s best finish in the Series so far came courtesy of seven-time champion and part-time driver Johnson, who managed a remarkable third place at Daytona in his first of just two races he is set to enter this year.

With just ten races remaining, neither Jones nor Nemechek has yet secured their spot in the playoffs as they sit 20th and 22nd, respectively, in the playoff picture. But while both will be hoping to secure valuable points at Sonoma for the sake of their playoff pushes, there is more on the line than usual for the Legacy pair in California.

DON’T MISS…

Jones and Nemechek are set to go head-to-head at Sonoma in the third round of the ongoing inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge – prompting both to engage in a hilarious battle on social media.

Whichever driver ultimately comes out on top on Sunday will progress to the final four as they continue the pursuit of the $1 million prize fund.

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Motorsports

SVG claims NASCAR Xfinity pole at Sonoma

SONOMA, Calif. — Shane van Gisbergen claimed the pole for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at Sonoma Raceway. Photo: Sophia LaRiche/TRE Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images SVG and Connor Zilisch will start a rematch of their Chicago finish in 1-2. SVG averaged 95.191 mph in his lap around the 1.99-mile road course. Zilisch ran […]

Published

46 minutes ago

July 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

SONOMA, Calif. — Shane van Gisbergen claimed the pole for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at Sonoma Raceway.

SVG and Connor Zilisch will start a rematch of their Chicago finish in 1-2. SVG averaged 95.191 mph in his lap around the 1.99-mile road course. Zilisch ran a lap averaging 94.884 mph, just missing out on the pole.

Zilisch paced practice with a lap averaging 95.176 MPH.

Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch, Sam Mayer, Jesse Love, William Sawalich, Sammy Smith, Carson Kvapil, Brandon Jones, Sheldon Creed and Justin Allgaier are the top 10 starters. Taylor Gray qualified 11th but will reportedly go to the rear of the field.

Notable qualifiers:

Blaine Perkins: 12th
Anthony Alfredo: 13th
Corey Day: 14th
Alex Labbe: 20th
Connor Mosack: 22nd

NASCAR Xfinity Series at Sonoma Lineup

Shane van Gisbergen
Connor Zilisch
Sam Mayer
Jesse Love
William Sawalich
Sammy Smith
Carson Kvapil
Brandon Jones
Sheldon Creed
Justin Allgaier
Taylor Gray
Blaine Perkins
Anthony Alfredo
Corey Day
Riley Herbst
Austin Hill
Jeb Burton
Josh Williams
Harrison Burton
Alex Labbe
Christian Eckes
Connor Mosack
Nick Sanchez
Matt DiBenedetto
Josh Bilicki
Sage Karam
Ryan Ellis
Kris Wright
Ryan Sieg
Jeremy Clements
Daniel Dye
Brennan Poole
Austin Green
Parker Retzlaff
Dean Thompson
Will Rodgers
Kyle Sieg
Brad Perez

DNQ: Austin J. Hill

More NASCAR and motorsports news from the racing experts

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Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.

A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.

Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.

Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com

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How Shane van Gisbergen has quickly become NASCAR’s best road racer

CHICAGO — In the two short years since New Zealand’s Shane van Gisbergen burst onto the NASCAR scene with a stunning victory in his debut, the questions around stock car racing have shifted from “Who is this guy?” to “Is he NASCAR’s best road racer ever?” Both questions are valid, given how quickly and decisively […]

Published

47 minutes ago

July 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Both questions are valid, given how quickly and decisively the driver known by his initials has established himself as the one to beat on non-ovals — especially in a parity-filled era for the NASCAR Cup Series in which every car has the same basic construction and parts.

“Has there been someone with this big of an advantage on road courses …? I don’t think so,” three-time Daytona winner Denny Hamlin said on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast on Monday. “You certainly would think SVG, relative to the field, has got a bigger gap than anybody in history.”

To Hamlin’s point: The analytics service NASCAR Insights noted this week van Gisbergen’s average running position on road and street courses this season is 3.34 — and the next closest is 10.09 (Christopher Bell).

Similarly, van Gisbergen won the pole position at Chicago last week by 0.47 seconds — a gap so significant, it was larger than the margin from second to eighth on the starting grid. He then won the race and is the heavy favorite again this Sunday when NASCAR visits another road course in Sonoma, Calif.

So how the heck is he doing this in an era of equal cars and the most talented overall group of road racers NASCAR has seen? Let’s take a look at some of the key factors.

An ideal background

NASCAR drivers are traditionally from an oval-racing background, which requires a much different skill set. In the broadest terms, oval racing is about putting a car right on the edge of spinning out while floating it through the corner and competing in close proximity to other drivers. Road-course racing is much more about hard-charging precision as the field gets spread out, which can feel more about racing against the track than the other drivers at times.

That has always opened the door for “road-course ringers” to enter NASCAR non-oval races and have a good showing, but few have ever adapted as quickly as van Gisbergen. Former Indianapolis 500 winner and seven-time Formula One race winner Juan Pablo Montoya, for example, came to NASCAR to compete full-time in the Cup Series for seven seasons and won two of his 14 road-course starts (14 percent); van Gisbergen’s win rate on those tracks is currently at 33 percent (three of nine), which has already made him the winningest foreign-born driver in NASCAR history.

Similarly, other open-wheel drivers like Montoya have been very respectable but not remarkable. In recent years, former F1 world champions Kimi Räikkönen and Jenson Button have made Cup starts on road courses; in five combined starts, they have a best finish of 18th (Button at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas in 2023).

Shane van Gisbergen also won the Cup Series race in Mexico City last month. In total, he has won three of his nine career road races in NASCAR’s top circuit. (Chris Graythen / Getty Images)

What gives van Gisbergen an edge, even over an F1 or IndyCar driver who enters a NASCAR road race, may be his background in Australia’s Supercars series. While those vehicles are touring cars and not stock cars, they are somewhat cousins of NASCAR’s current model Cup Series car (the “Next Gen” or “Gen 7” car).

Last year, van Gisbergen told The Athletic that while the Next Gen car is “way different” than a Supercar, “it’s still more relevant than most of the stock cars here,” which he said “drive like a forklift, where the rear end is doing the steering.” Except that type of driving is exactly what longtime NASCAR drivers are used to and more comfortable with — as opposed to the four-year-old Next Gen car, which shares characteristics with an IMSA sports car designed for road racing.

“The Cup car (now) is relative to pretty much every other race car in the world,” van Gisbergen said. “It just feels like a normal car. You’re like, ‘OK, I can push on and be comfortable with this, get a feel.’”

A unique technique

When van Gisbergen won the inaugural NASCAR Chicago Street Course race in 2023 in what was supposed to be a one-off start, the shocking victory captured the world’s attention. Over in Europe, van Gisbergen’s friend and sim racing teammate Max Verstappen — the four-time Formula One world champion — was up late watching and was “literally screaming in front of my monitor for him to win that,” according to The Race.

Verstappen called van Gisbergen “a crazy right-foot braker,” a reference to the so-called “heel-toe” footwork technique in which a driver uses the same foot to both hit the gas (on the far right, as in a street car) and the brake. But most race car drivers use their left foot to brake instead of placing it on the clutch pedal to help brake into the corners, as van Gisbergen and his Supercars colleagues in Australia do.

“It’s quite insane that he’s that fast with that technique,” Verstappen said. “… I mean, I can’t do it. But he grew up like that.”

Essentially, using heel-toe helps the car slow and turn more efficiently on a road course. After van Gisbergen’s 2023 victory, former NASCAR and open-wheel racer Max Papis posted on X that “NO (left foot) braker will ever be able to control rear stability on hot (tires) or slick damp track better than (right foot) plus clutch usage.”

Take a look at @shanevg97’s footwork racing around the #NASCARChicago street course.

Van Gisbergen is a three-time @supercars champion. pic.twitter.com/KLPvbJLqrk

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 1, 2023

Since then, NASCAR drivers have considered trying the heel-toe technique after van Gisbergen showed its effectiveness, but none have implemented it due to what is believed to be a steep learning curve.

“Everybody is just like, ‘Well, just learn what he does. Do what he does,’” 2023 NASCAR champion Ryan Blaney said last month on the “Door Bumper Clear” podcast. “I’m like, ‘It would take me 10 years to get halfway to what Shane can do with right-foot (braking). I might be done racing by the time I figure that out halfway of how good he is.”

Still, it’s unlikely heel-toe accounts for all of van Gisbergen’s road-racing speed, and it’s a bit of a cop-out to suggest that’s the reason he’s so good. In reality, van Gisbergen happens to just be an exceptionally adaptable driver, as evidenced by his ability to switch sides of the car and shift with different hands. After all, Supercars drivers sit on the right side of the car and shift with their left hand, the opposite of NASCAR cars.

Pump the brakes

All of that said, van Gisbergen poses no threat for the NASCAR championship — nor will he be winning a race on an oval anytime soon. His average finish is outside the top 25 on every type of NASCAR oval (superspeedway, intermediate and short track). And before winning on the Mexico City road course last month, van Gisbergen’s rookie season was off to a rough start; he was 33rd in the point standings in a series with 36 full-time drivers.

That underscores how difficult it is, even for someone of the 36-year-old van Gisbergen’s talent level, to compete with NASCAR’s best on the type of tracks most have driven since childhood. Aside from some dirt oval races, van Gisbergen had no pavement oval experience until Aug. 2023.

So why would his team, Trackhouse Racing, hire a full-time driver who currently can only win on one type of circuit? Because of NASCAR’s playoff structure.

NASCAR has a “win and in” championship system, where any driver with a victory in the first 26 races (the “regular season”) will qualify for the 16-driver field to compete for the Cup Series title. So even though van Gisbergen was 33rd before Mexico, he immediately leaped half of the drivers in the standings to lock himself into the playoffs.

And while van Gisbergen won’t win the title (there are nine ovals in the 10-race playoffs), NASCAR’s franchise-like “charter” payouts are determined by their average finish in the standings over a three-year period. So by qualifying into the playoffs, van Gisbergen essentially paid for Trackhouse’s investment in him — and he appears poised to be an annual playoff participant as long as the system remains the same.

At the same time, his road-course success is buying patience with Trackhouse for his oval development. Indeed, van Gisbergen has shown progress while getting three top-20 finishes in his last five oval starts after starting the season with only one top-20 in his first 10 ovals.

“We wouldn’t be doing this if we thought we could go win road courses and know we’re not going to run that good on the ovals because he’s never done it before,” Trackhouse owner Justin Marks said. “At this level of the game, you have to be a complete package. For his level of intelligence and how he studies and adapts and learns, there’s a real opportunity here for him to figure the ovals out and be a complete Cup driver.

“We’ve got somebody who is talented that we can make a Cup driver out of. And while he learns in the meantime, we can win a ton of road courses and punch that ticket to the playoffs and give our sponsors a ton of return for their investment.”

(Top photo of Shane van Gisbergen taking the checkered flag Sunday at the Chicago Street Race: James Gilbert / Getty Images)

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