"The V8s had gotten a little stale over there": Shane van Gisbergen reveals his raw feelings on NASCAR switch

Shane van Gisbergen's move from Australian Supercars to NASCAR has already made headlines for its success, but the Kiwi said that it has also given him a fresh sense of motivation. Speaking on New Zealand's Sport Nation podcast, the three-time Supercars champion admitted the change was overdue and has helped him rediscover the fun in racing.

SVG first made his mark in Supercars when he joined one of the most dominant teams in the series, Triple Eight Race Engineering, in 2013. He won three championships (2016, 2021, 2022) with them and three Bathurst 1000s. After more than a decade, the grind was starting to wear on him. That's when NASCAR entered the picture.

"When you've a change of environment or just a fresh start, it's been really good for me to try something else... The V8s had gotten a little bit stale over there and things had changed and I'd done it for 15-16 years. It was good just to get a new... motivation and a new challenge and a good time to try something different, and I've really enjoyed it," Van Gisbergen told Sport Nation.

Shane van Gisbergen joined Trackhouse Racing in 2023 for a one-off Cup Series drive in Chicago, where he stunned the field by winning on debut, the first driver in 60 years to do this. That victory earned him a developmental contract for 2024 and a full-time Cup seat in 2025.

Shane Van Gisbergen (88) after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165. Source: Getty

The dominance Shane van Gisbergen once enjoyed in Supercars was a double-edged sword. It brought titles, but the lack of new challenges eventually became dull. NASCAR offered the complete opposite: new cars, new circuits, and a steep learning curve.

"It's been good actually being below average at something and knowing that you can get better. It's just going to take time. So, I've really enjoyed being at the back struggling and trying to make myself better. It's been a really cool thing to do," he added.

The transition has been far from simple. V8 Supercars weigh around 2,900 pounds, compared to roughly 3,200 for NASCAR's Cup cars. Supercars run with more downforce and softer suspension for fast cornering, while Cup cars have stiffer setups and generate most of their grip from underbody aerodynamics. The racing styles are also different - Supercars are road-course heavy, NASCAR is mostly oval-based.

For Shane van Gisbergen, adapting to the physicality of NASCAR racing has been the biggest challenge, but one he has embraced successfully.

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Shane van Gisbergen's rookie season success despite oval troubles

Shane van Gisbergen (88) leads Ryan Blaney (12) during the Go Bowling at The Glen. Source: Imagn

With his Watkins Glen win last weekend, Shane van Gisbergen now has four Cup Series wins, tying Denny Hamlin for the most this year. All his victories have come on road or street circuits in Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma, and Watkins Glen. At COTA earlier in the season, he finished sixth, which was his only other top ten finish.

At The Glen, Van Gisbergen started second behind Ryan Blaney, skipped stage points in favor of long-term track position, and led 38 laps, including the final 17, to win by 11.116 seconds over Christopher Bell. While road courses have been his domain, ovals are still a work in progress. Charlotte Roval is the only road course left, and it closes the Round of 12 in the playoffs, but he'll have to make it there first.

When asked about what Van Gisbergen needed to do to improve his oval racing, SVG said, via Sport Nation:

"Well, it's just time really. I feel like I'm making big leaps and bounds every week. It's a real grind, but I feel like we've certainly improved but we've a long way to go... What's going to help us in the playoffs is generally we're pretty consistent, try and stay out of accidents, and just keep getting points and that should help us hopefully get through a round or two. But who knows how we're going to go."

SVG's top-20 finishes this year at Darlington (20th), Kansas (20th), Charlotte (14th), Michigan (18th), and Indianapolis (19th) show steady improvement on ovals. But those results alone won't deliver deep playoff runs.

With two races left in the regular season, Shane van Gisbergen can take pride in his rapid progress. If he keeps growing on ovals the way he's mastered NASCAR's road courses, the all-around Supercars domination may not be far away.