Shane van Gisbergen has indirectly issued a warning to the rest of NASCAR as he continues his run in the Cup Series. On Dale Jr. Download, Dale Earnhardt Jr. asked van Gisbergen about his reaction to signing a contract extension with Trackhouse Racing.
“It’s just awesome. We had another year left anyway, but Justin [Marks] wanted to do more,” Shane van Gisbergen told Earnhardt. “It’s been amazing the belief he’s had in me , and also the patience. The start of the year was pretty rough, but you could see the glimpses, and now they are getting more and more.
“I feel like I’ve had some really good races, feel like I’m matching my teammates a lot of weeks, and qualifying really well. I can see it coming and feel it coming. We’re still a long way from winning a race or being complete, but I can feel and see where the time is. I’m having more moments where I have couple good sections of a race or feel the car doing something, and I’m like, ‘Oh, there it is. There’s the limit.’ I’m getting closer to that every week, and I’m feeling it more often. I can really feel the progression.”
Shane van Gisbergen evaluates his NASCAR Championship chances
Van Gisbergen is referring his performances at oval races during his first season as a full-time Cup Series driver. There’s no denying that the New Zealand native is elite on road courses, as he’s won four of them this year. But if he continues to improve on oval tracks and start winning those races, van Gisbergen could be a NASCAR Cup Series champion in the foreseeable future.
There are only two drivers who have won at least four NASCAR Cup Series races this year — van Gisbergen and Denny Hamlin. The playoffs begin on Aug. 31, and with van Gisbergen having 22 playoff points, he could make his way to the Round of Eight if he can have strong finishes in the first six playoff races.
After winning at Watkins Glen last week, van Gisbergen was asked about his chances to make a run in the playoffs. “I think you just have to have — especially now we have a lot of points, too, I think you’ve just got to have three solid weeks and you might get through,” he said. “We just have to play the averages, make no mistakes, and make sure we’re in a good spot every week, and who knows how far we’ll get.”
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