Australian Supercars veteran Shane van Gisbergen has spent significant time in the Xfinity Series, enough to spark an intense rivalry. It all started at the Circuit of The Americas in early March, where the Kiwi was a strong contender for the win. However, RCR’s Austin Hill bumped the #97 Kaulig Racing driver out of the lead. While van Gisbergen retaliated, both drivers ultimately lost out, and Kyle Larson took the victory.
Fast forward to Sonoma Raceway, and van Gisbergen got his revenge by sidelining Austin Hill and taking a trip to victory lane. Although the Australian Supercars champion has his differences with his Xfinity counterparts, the Kiwi noted that not every rivalry is as troublesome.
SvG is optimistic about relations in the paddock despite his feud with Austin Hill.
With nearly half a full-time season in the Xfinity Series under his belt, Shane van Gisbergen has become familiar with almost every driver on the grid. From intense battles with Kyle Larson to defeating Justin Allgaier at Portland to secure his first Xfinity win, the Kiwi now has a good grasp of the heated on-track action. However, no driver seems to hold a grudge against SvG that compares to his rivalry with Austin Hill.
Appearing on ListnrSport’s podcast, the Kaulig Racing driver shared insights into his relationships with the Xfinity paddock. SvG stated, “Most have been very good. I’ve only had a problem with one guy (Austin Hill). He took me out at COTA, and then I got him back at Sonoma. But everyone else is awesome. We’ve had some hard battles. I’ve spun a guy, he’s got me back, and we spoke about it after. We’re sweet. You just shake hands and get on with it.”
Compared to his feuds with Austin Hill, other drivers seem to have kept SvG in their good books despite any run-ins. For SvG, intentionally wrecking someone is a far-fetched idea. After all, you can only avoid a feud until the next race weekend. Fortunately, the Kiwi appears to have built good relationships with everyone around him in the Xfinity and Cup series.
Van Gisbergen further stated, “It’s pretty hard to want to crash into someone because you gotta see them the next week, and you always tend to be racing the same guys every week. Especially on the ovals, you kind of find where your level is at and you’re racing those guys every week. But yeah, most guys are pretty nice.”
Apart from the competition, the Kiwi also highlighted how close-knit his relationship with Trackhouse Racing teammates Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez has become over the season. The 35-year-old concluded, “Ross, Daniel, and I, we get along well, talk about the cars a lot, and you know, Ross and I go around most weeks together, so it’s pretty cool here, how it all works.”
While the Australian Supercars champion is still getting to grips with NASCAR’s cut-throat nature, there’s one aspect of the sport that has truly impressed the newcomer.
‘I feel like I can be myself here’ – The Kiwi has nothing but praise for American media.
It’s no secret that Shane van Gisbergen hasn’t had the best relationship with the Australian media. Just last year, the Kiwi had a standoff with insider Chad Neylon during a press conference. SvG was coming off a miserable outing at the 2023 Supercars season opener, which made him dismiss Neylon’s questions during the conference. This led to many motorsport veterans calling out the Kiwi, creating an unwarranted controversy.
Fortunately, Shane van Gisbergen’s time in the States has been relatively different and easier. Explaining the stark contrast between how the Australian motorsport media approached coverage compared to the Americans, SvG shared, “It’s hard, as you know, I’ve always kind of struggled with the media side of things, but you know, I feel Australian media are always looking for the slip-up, always looking for the headline.”
Citing that it may be due to his status in Australian Supercars, SvG felt he was more prone to reporters picking apart his words and creating exaggerated angles. In comparison, American motorsport media outlets seemed different. The Kiwi further added, “I always would answer in Australia, guarded. Like I was thinking too much about what I was going to say and not wanting to say the wrong thing. Whereas here, I feel like you can be yourself and then you’re appreciated for it. They write what you say.”
According to SvG, NASCAR media wasn’t as aggressive with their assumptions and questions as their Australian Supercars counterparts. At the same time, the key focus also seemed to differ.
He concluded, “The stories generally seem to be positive here, and it just kind of snowballs. Whereas in Australia… they’re always driving the negative to get the clicks in the short term and it just drags everything down. I feel like I can be myself here and not get away with it but people appreciate and enjoy that, which is cool.”
After taking a look at SvG’s candid comparison between NASCAR and Australian Supercars media, do you think the Kiwi will soon get over his hesitation with interviews?