Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned JRM snubs Shane van Gisbergen for the NASCAR Mexico City race

NASCAR driver Shane van Gisbergen has made a strong impression in American stock car racing since his 2023 debut. As the Cup and Xfinity Series head to Mexico City this year, van Gisbergen was initially set to compete in both events. However, recent updates confirm he will now race in only one.

Shane van Gisbergen, a three-time Australian Supercars champion, is piloting the #88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing’s third entry in the Cup Series. Known for his road course expertise, he made headlines by winning his NASCAR debut at the 2023 Chicago Street Race. Van Gisbergen is currently competing in his rookie Cup Series season.

Initial reports stated that SVG was supposed to run 4 road course races for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Jr Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. The race in Mexico was one of those 4 events, but van Gisbergen has now been replaced by his Trackhouse teammate Danial Suarez, behind the wheel of JRM's #9 Chevrolet.

Mexico native Daniel Suarez, being a local hero, was favored over Shane van Gisbergen to compete in the Xfinity Series race. The Kiwi, despite being a veteran motorsports athlete, is still learning the ways of NASCAR racing. Meanwhile, after being announced as SVG's replacement, Suarez shared his thoughts.

“Mexico has been loving motorsports for a very long time, and I feel like, slowly, that has also changed into NASCAR,” said Suarez. "NASCAR is a very important sport for Mexico, and it continues to grow with the NASCAR Mexico Series and now the Cup and Xfinity Series going there. It’s going to be a big deal."

The highly anticipated Mexico City weekend races are scheduled on June 14 and 15 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. Catch the action live on the CW Network, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM.

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Shane van Gisbergen offers honest take on Ross Chastain’s leadership and Trackhouse weaknesses

Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain made the headlines after making a move on Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron in the final laps of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and winning the crown jewel event for his team. This marked Ross Chastain and Trackhouse's first victory this season.

Following the end of the race, Chastain's teammate, Shane van Gisbergen, shed light on the #1 driver's triumph and his overall impact at Trackhouse's garage.

"I think he's the top guy here, and Daniel's pretty close as well, like everyone's pushing really hard, they're race-winning drivers. Then we're qualifying mid 20s and in the 30s every week. So you know, and still qualifying, we're not great," van Gisbergen said. (0:25 onwards)

He further shed light on the shortcomings of himself and his teammates, something that needs to be worked upon.

"It was a real struggle like I think I was fifth or sixth on the average lap. That's pretty good. But, qualifying, we just can't switch the tire off. So yeah, we need to work on that," he added.

Shane van Gisbergen marked his best finish at an oval, securing a P14 finish. The Cup Series is now headed to Nashville Superspeedway for the 14th regular-season race. Catch the action live on June 1.