Shane van Gisbergen opens up on his NASCAR journey as an ‘outsider’

Shane Van Gisbergen recently went on SiriusXM NASCAR radio and reflected on his NASCAR journey so far. The New Zealander shared how he feels 'at home' and hopes to remain a part of the series for a 'long time'.

Ever since his debut win at Chicago, SVG was poised to enter NASCAR full-time. Two years later, the 36-year-old has carved out a dominant niche with his road course prowess, a rare feat in the Next Gen Era.

Despite his shortcomings in ovals, Van Gisbergen is now the third seeded driver in the playoffs. As such, he has garnered steadfast support and respect from his peers. Reflecting upon the same, SVG said,

"It's a very American sport which is awesome but to be welcomed by everyone and you brought into the series and feel like I'm a part of it now. That's one of the coolest things to be an outsider but feel like, you know, everyone's so friendly towards me and being able to really feel like I'm at home here, that's probably been the most important one to me. I've really enjoyed my time here and tried to embrace the series here and I feel like I love the sport and I hope I'm part of it for a long time to come."

Shane Van Gisbergen's four wins in 34 starts made him the fastest driver to achieve the feat in the modern era. Moreover, all of his three wins this year came from pole, yet another record that ties him with Jeff Gordon for most consecutive road course victories from pole.

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"I hated driving those cars': Shane Van Gisbergen gets honest about Supercars

Shane Van Gisbergen recently admitted to perferring NASCAR over his previous stint in the Australian Supercars Championship. Despite winning three titles, the Kiwi driver revealed he'd grown to dislike his time in the series.

"I was really hating racing in Australia. I hated driving those cars. Now, I’ve never had so much fun racing, going to the racetrack every single weekend. I really love what I do,” he said via Racer.com

Up next, Shane Van Gisbergen heads to Dover International Speedway for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. The 400-lap event will see him tackling the high-banked 'Monster Mile' circuit, a sharp departure from his usual comfort of road courses. Fans can watch the race on TNT Sports at 2 PM ET on Sunday, July 20.

However, he'll return to his strengths at Watkins Glen International, where he's set for yet another double duty weekend. Notably, the event also marks the rematch between Van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch.

In their most recent matchup at Sonoma, the 18-year-old prodigy secured bragging rights after battling SVG all race long, while the latter won their previous showdown at Chicago.