On Wednesday, Trackhouse Racing announced that Shane van Gisbergen — winner of the inaugural Chicago Street Race in 2023 — will race full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The New Zealand native, who will live in Charlotte, North Carolina, continues to adjust to his new life.
“I drove down the street on the wrong side of the road,” van Gisbergen said. “Basic stuff is so similar, but it’s so different here. I moved to Australia when I was 18, in 2007, and lived there ever since. But now, moving to the other side of the world, it’s been a big change.”
History shows that van Gisbergen will adapt quickly. He became the first driver since Johnny Rutherford in 1963 to win in his first NASCAR Cup Series start, but he’s still adjusting to the newfound attention that brought him.
“When I came for the race, it was a one-off race with Project 91 and Trackhouse,” van Gisbergen said. “You always hope that you’re going to win a race, but you never expect to run up front like that and put on the show like we did.
“The recognition we got for what we achieved has been massive and has snowballed into this. Now I’ve packed up my life, moved countries and changed everything, and it’s been a bit of a whirlwind.”
The three-time Australian Supercars champion knew after winning in Chicago and competing in Indianapolis that he was ready to compete full-time in the Xfinity Series. He also will appear in select races in the Cup Series next season.
“In Australia, we do a lot of street races and conventional circuit races, but we only raced five times a year,” van Gisbergen said. “We aren’t racing every week; we race mainly on ovals and sitting on the left side of the car with no doors.”
Van Gisbergen grew up a racing fan. His father was into the sport, so he started taking classes when he was 8. He grew up near the Pukekohe Park Raceway, where he found his racing inspiration.
“Greg Murphy was like my hero,” van Gisbergen said. “Greg always used to win there, and I’d always be watching him just wanting to be like him.”
Racing started off as a weekend endeavor before becoming more competitive. Van Gisbergen moved to Australia to continue his journey.
Though the Chicago Street Race was the first for NASCAR, van Gisbergen competed in multiple street races in Australia. Now, he’s starting to prepare for his first full year competing in NASCAR events.
Van Gisbergen first week in the U.S. has been dedicated to meeting his team and familiarizing himself with NASCAR. After the holidays, he’ll ramp up his preparation. He said he’s excited to compete again in Chicago.
“It’s the biggest city I’ve ever been to,” van Gisbergen said. “All around the town, there was a bit of a buzz. Obviously, the weather was crazy on Sunday, but still seeing how many fans turned out was really cool.”
