“We don’t really do that as much at home”: Shane Van Gisbergen breaks down key difference between NASCAR and Supercars

Shane Van Gisbergen outlined the differences between NASCAR and Supercars, noting how weekends in the former are 'so much shorter,' yet packed with 'epic' pre-race rituals. He mentioned how these traditions add an emotional layer that isn't as common back home.

Although SVG is a rookie NASCAR driver, his experience in the Supercars Championship has lent him an edge over the rest of the field in road courses. Thanks to his recent wins at Mexico City and the Chicago Street Race, he has now become the driver to beat at such tracks.

In the latest episode of Kevin Harvick's 'Happy Hour,' he was asked the key differences between the two racing series. He replied,

"I guess just the efficiency of everything on a weekend. Like the weekends are so much shorter, but there's so much more racing stuff involved. The driver intros the anthem like the pre-race stuff here that they do is fantastic, like you get so wound up before the race." [18:35 onwards]

"My favorite pre-race is Talladega; you see how emotional everyone is and the anthem's pumping, and then this truck just comes roaring through with the big flag on. It's epic, you know. So, we don't really do that as much at home," he added..

Shane Van Gisbergen's Chicago wins have garnered viewership higher than last year's ratings. He executed a weekend sweep by winning both the Xfinity and the Cup Series. Notably, he achieved the feat from the pole in both events, a record previously set by Kyle Busch during his 2016 sweep at Indianapolis.

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Shane Van Gisbergen shares his goals for the season

After joining the ranks of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Christopher Bell for having multiple wins this season, Shane Van Gisbergen sees potential for improvement in his average placing. The Trackhouse Racing driver has steadily gone from being a backmarker to now regularly competing among the top 20.

With his playoff bid locked in, the Kiwi driver expects to make further gains in the regular season.

"We're going to start to go back to tracks we've been to before. So, we got a bit of a notebook...Like our average pace positions gone from in the 30s to now in the 20s, so now we got to get into the 10th to 15th area," Shane Van Gisbergen said via aforementioned source. [34:22 onwards]

Up next, SVG heads to yet another road course with the Sonoma Raceway. As such, he'll look to extend his winning streak at the 110-lap affair. He has already made a five-place jump in the driver's standings due to his Chicago win.

He currently ranks 27th with 308 points and 111 laps led. Notably, he was deemed ineligible for the In-Season Challenge due to his earlier position outside the top 30.

Fans can watch the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on TNT Sports or listen to radio updates on Sirius XM. The race is scheduled for Sunday, July 13, at 3:30 PM ET.