“My laps were average”: Despite pole position, Shane van Gisbergen not happy with his run times in Mexico

Road course specialist Shane van Gisbergen may have secured a historic pole position in Mexico City, but he thought his performance was not outstanding. He pointed out that his car was slow in the early parts of his lap before picking up speed in the latter half.

During the rain-shortened qualifying session, SVG clocked a fast lap of 93.904 mph to start at the front in the race. He will take the green flag alongside Ryan Preece in row one and ahead of Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain and Ty Gibbs.

In a press release, Shane van Gisbergen, who came to NASCAR after winning three championships in Australia's Supercars, said the #88 team made crucial changes that made the pole position possible.

“We made some big swings last night. Our #88 Safety Culture Chevrolet was a bit better. We had a lot more front grip, which is what I needed,” SVG said.

However, the NASCAR Cup Series rookie wasn't impressed with his performance in the first half of his lap.

“But my laps were average... like you'll see everyone was beating me in the first half of the lap, and then my lap gets good at the end,” he added.

Regardless, SVG expressed excitement for the inaugural road course Cup race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

“We had a lot of speed today, which is good. It's been a great improvement. What a really cool achievement for us and a great start for tomorrow. I'm excited... that's really cool,” he concluded.

Shane van Gisbergen driving the #88 Chevrolet Camaro at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez - Source: Getty

The qualifying result from Mexico City is the New Zealander's second career pole position following a first-place start in the Charlotte Road Course last year. His last win came in the inaugural Chicago street race two years ago, reflecting his racing prowess on road courses.

The Viva Mexico 250 will commence on June 15 at 3:00 p.m. ET. The 100-lap road course race will mark the first points-paying Cup Series race outside the US in over six decades.

---

“I never set any goals for myself”: Shane van Gisbergen on his expectations for rookie NASCAR Cup Series season

Earlier this year, Shane van Gisbergen was asked about his expectations for his first full-time NASCAR Cup Series ride with Trackhouse Racing. He dismissed the question, saying he would focus more on making the most of the season instead of expecting wins.

“Honestly, I never set any goals for myself. I just try to do my best [...] If we win some races, that's great and I'm sure we'll celebrate. But I just want to take the season as it comes and have fun doing it,” the #88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet driver said (via Red Bull)

Red Bull is one of Shane van Gisbergen's NASCAR sponsors- Source: Getty

While SVG had a solid rookie run in the Xfinity Series last year, the 36-year-old has yet to find his footing in the premier series. He has only scored one top 10 in 15 races, dropping him outside the top 30 in the points standings.