Shane van Gisbergen finalizing deal to race for Trackhouse in 2024
Earlier this year, Shane van Gisbergen shocked the world of autosports with an unthinkable win at the Chicago Street Race. It was his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series start, an incredible feat to accomplish on the 4th of July weekend.
Now, van Gisbergen plans to capitalize on that success. According to Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal, the driver “is finalizing a deal to compete for (Trackhouse Racing) next year in a wide-range developmental deal, per source familiar, fulfilling one of the team’s goals to bring an international star to NASCAR racing full time.”
Currently, van Gisbergen drives in the Supercars Championship series in Australia and New Zealand. He’s won three championships and participated in over 500 races. He’s recorded 80 wins and 174 podiums.
Trackhouse Racing currently houses drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit.
It’s not often that a driver secures a checkered flag in his first ever NASCAR Cup Series appearance. After van Grisbergen took home the top spot in Chicago, he expressed serious interest in becoming more involved with the sport.
“Supercars isn’t that fun at the moment,” he said. “I’m not really enjoying it as much and starting to think about other things and look around. But my motivation for Supercars is high. I’m still trying hard and pushing as hard as I can. Certainly now I’ve started watching NASCAR more again this year. Opportunities come up, and it’s appealing.”
Triple Eight Race Engineering team principal Jamie Whincup said van Grisbergen had the green light to pursue a career in NASCAR.
“He’s only contractually bound to us for next year,” Whincup told Fox Sports News Monday. “Of course I’m trying to run the business as well as a I possibly can and I need the best drivers, but if any driver, engineer, employee came to me and said, ‘Hey, my dream is to go to the other side of the world and do something else’, I’m not going to stand in their way.
“I want to open up opportunities for all my staff. No doubt we’re going to have some discussions in the next month or so and work out what he wants to do. He’s certainly got my praise whatever he wants to do, and we’re going to support him all the way.”
We’ll see if van Grisbergen and Trackhouse Racing agree to a contract and if we’ll have a new driver on the circuit in 2024.