Shane van Gisbergen reveals what he learned during ARCA test at Daytona
For three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen, there is a lot he has to learn in his NASCAR journey. He was hard at work this weekend testing the ARCA car at Daytona International Superspeedway. A venue he has raced at, but never like this.
SVG has been on the road course in sportscars before, but the Daytona oval is another beast. Superspeedway racing was one thing that van Gisbergen knew he would have to learn. It is a type of racing not seen elsewhere in motorsports.
The good news, ARCA’s cars are just the Gen-6 bodies from the NASCAR Cup Series. This means his Chevy is very similar to the Holden Commodores that van Gisbergen used to drive back in Australia.
After a couple of days of practice, Shane van Gisbergen took a few lessons with him. Remember, he will race ARCA and the Xfinity Series on the same day at Daytona.
“You’re just trying to keep the car smooth, but I wouldn’t say it was easy,” the driver said to The Daytona Beach News-Journal. “It’s still a challenge. Just got a feel for it. Got out on the track and when I was comfortable at night, which was awesome, we got around other cars and got a feel for it all.
“Mainly just the Gs. I hadn’t really felt that in the corner, the way the corner is pushing against you and you just sink into the seat. There’s a fair bit of pressure there. It was just cool to be out there. The simulator can only do so much for you.”
That wasn’t all that he learned out on the track. Shane van Gisbergen had some runs in the pack to figure out drafting and passing.
Shane van Gisbergen learns not to ‘peek’ out
When racing at Daytona or Talladega, there are things you have to look out for. Above all else, remember to stay in line and only make decisive moves. If not, you can find yourself falling back in the pack or taking half of the field out in a wreck.
Shane van Gisbergen learned quickly to not wiggle around a lot on the high banks of Daytona.
“Around cars, it was kind of what I expected, SVG continued. “You can’t see much when you’re right behind them so you try to take a peak and look out but that slows you down when you get out of line. Just the little things I’ve been told about but you don’t really know until you get out there and feel it for yourself.”
Shane van Gisbergen is taking on the full Xfinity Series season. He will also have select starts in the Cup Series. He wants to be full-time in 2025 in the Cup Series, taking NASCAR by storm. If he can get the oval racing down, he should be a big threat in the series.
Above all else, SVG wants to get to “the end of the year with a smile on my face.”