“We’re in a nice position”: Shane van Gisbergen says Trackhouse is prepared for strategic risks in Chicago

NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane van Gisbergen recently featured in an interview with Cup Scene ahead of the much-anticipated Chicago Street Course race. During the interaction, stock car analyst Bob Pockrass asked van Gisbergen whether he would experiment with his car for the road course race.

The former SuperCar Series champion debuted in the Cup Series in 2023 with Trackhouse Racing, driving the #91 Chevy Camaro ZL1 at Chicago Street Course. He surprised everyone by winning the race and crossing the finish line ahead of drivers like Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. Two months after his win, he was signed as a development driver for Trackhouse Racing.

After his Chicago win, Bob Pockrass asked Shane van Gisbergen about experimenting with his car. The New Zealand-based driver was ready for the question and answered [01:59 onwards]:

"Uh, we did that at Mexico, and we'll continue to make it better here. So yeah, it's been good to try a few things, and it's difficult here because it's a closed sort of practice. What you turn up with is what you're stuck with. It wasn't a risk at Mexico — we could change it if it wasn't very good. But yeah, we just keep trying to make the car better."

"There are some feelings I've struggled with in the car the last couple of years, and it's nice to try some things. We’re obviously in a nice position now having won a race, and that may change our strategy. If we're in a position to get a playoff point, we'll probably try and get that, but that'll put us deep in the field for the next stage. So yeah, there's a bit of a toss-up there in what we're going to do, but it's a nice position to be in. And yeah, you're right — we can try some stuff now," he added.

Shane van Gisbergen is set to compete in the Challenge Round 2—Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Road Course, scheduled for Sunday, July 6, 2025. TNT Sports, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 will broadcast the 75-lap event live at 2 p.m. ET.

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Shane van Gisbergen opened up about his teammate Ross Chastain's leadership alongside his team's weakness in the 2025 season

Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain led his team to its first victory of the season at the Coca-Cola 600. He pulled a last-minute maneuver on Hendrick Motorsports ace William Byron, crossing the finish line ahead of him. The crown jewel event marked Chastain's maiden season win among his teammates Daniel Suarez and Shane van Gisbergen.

Reflecting on the same, the #88 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver shared his thoughts and said (0:25 onwards):

"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."

"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 ranks 32nd in the Cup Series points table with 268 points in his rookie season. Additionally, he has secured one win, two top-10 finishes, and one top-five finish with one pole position in 18 starts this season.