From the start of the year, Shane van Gisbergen made it crystal clear that he was no fan of the new Gen3 Supercar and, after disqualification from a season-opening win in Newcastle on a technicality, he was playing off the back foot all season.
His third Bathurst 1000 win, while managing a series of in-car issues, was as good as anything he has done in Supercars.
But it was his staggering NASCAR Cup debut, when he obliterated stock car racing’s finest on a soggy and treacherous Chicago street course, that made his future clear. It’s time for this stellar talent to shine on a bigger stage. Tighten them laces, America.
It was no huge surprise that van Gisbergen was eyeing bigger challenges for 2024 and well before he took the chequered flag in Chicago, the signs were he may be on his way out of Supercars.
It was not so much that he did not feel at home in the Gen3 Supercar. It is that, much to the annoyance of Supercars’ management, he publicly stated as much. His form at the start or the 2023 season was less imperious than many had expected; in fact, by his standards, it was up and down.
Source: Autosport