"I was a big Tony Stewart fan"- Shane van Gisbergen reminisces after winning his debut NASCAR Cup Series race

The latest driver to have cemented his name in the history books of the NASCAR Cup Series is Shane van Gisbergen. The New Zealand native was introduced to the sport as Trackhouse Racing's Project 91 entry into the Chicago City Street Race, with spectacular results.

The inaugural Grant Park 220 on the streets of the Windy City saw stock car racing head to city streets for the first time ever. Coming over from the Australian V8 Supercars series, known for racing on street courses, Van Gisbergen turned out to be the perfect candidate to put behind the wheel of the #91 Chevrolet.

In a race that saw everything thrown at the governing body, from multiple crashes to threats of a rain-washout, NASCAR's first outing in Chicago, Illinois, turned many skeptics into believers last Sunday.

Elaborating on how he went about his business on the track, Shane van Gisbergen was seen as a genuine fan of motor racing in the post-race press conference. He also admitted to having been a fan of a veteran of the sport, Tony Stewart.

He said:

"Admittedly, I haven't watched NASCAR too closely the last couple of years. I was a big fan, like ten years ago. I was a big Tony Stewart fan so working with Darian (Grubb, crew chief) was pretty special."

Shane van Gisbergen's crew chief, Darian Grubb, was Tony Stewart's crew chief during his driving days in 2009, having won a championship with the NASCAR veteran.

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Shane van Gisbergen elaborates on his future prospects in NASCAR

NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 220

With a debut as headline-worthy as Shane van Gisbergen's during the Grant Park 220 on the streets of Chicago, it is difficult for the fraternity to not pin the Kiwi up as a future full-time driver in the sport.

The 34-year-old managed to win on his debut from behind the wheel of the #91 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 fielded by Justin Marks in the Project 91 entry.

While Shane van Gisbegen did not give out any specifics around his full-time switch to NASCAR, he did not rule the matter out completely after a successful outing in the Windy City.

He elaborated in an interview and said:

"I'd love to speak to Justin (Marks) more and see what they think and, be good to do a few more and then try and do some oval stuff lowkey to start with. I'd love to give it a go. We'll see next year we can do some fun races and then 2025 let's see."

NASCAR returns to a traditional oval track next weekend for the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.