Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen leads Cup Series practice at Chicago Street Race

In a not-so-shocking surprise, Shane van Gisbergen leads the NASCAR Cup Series field in practice as the fastest driver in the 50-minute session. This race is going to be very interesting as the Kiwi, three-time Supercars champion impresses early on in Chicago.

While it is just practice, it is a good sign of things to come in qualifying and possibly the race on Sunday. The Grant Park 220 will feature Shane van Gisbergen as well as another street course-ace. Jenson Button is back for another round in NASCAR with the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing team.

Both the New Zealander and the Brit were great in practice. They come into the qualifying session after going P1 and P3 in practice. Denny Hamlin was a surprise at P2 after the session was over.

Fastest in practice? @shanevg97!

If you're wondering, "who," he's a three-time @supercars champion and has all of New Zealand behind him! pic.twitter.com/IXiwHjEoOP

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 1, 2023

Shane van Gisbergen is a very talented driver. He’s performed very well in the Australian Supercars series and might be eyeing a future in NASCAR. If he carries this momentum forward to qualifying and the race itself, there will be many teams interested in bringing the Aussie on board.

It is little surprise that the Supercars champ is doing so well. His own Chevy Camaro is not much different than the Next Gen version. While he is used to driving on the right side and shifting with his left hand, the swap to an American setup doesn’t seem to have hindered van Gisbergen much.

Shane van Gisbergen could win Chicago Street Race

Based on the practice results, we should expect van Gisbergen to be a threat to win on Sunday. He’s shown that he knows how to traverse the streets of Chicago very well. He clearly has learned quickly not just with the street configuration but in the car itself.

However, van Gisbergen is going to have Cup Series regulars who are very familiar with this car. Denny Hamlin has shown that he apparently knows more than we thought when it comes to street racing. That might be just as big of a shock to him as it is to everyone else.

Shane van Gisbergen was the first under a minute and a half on this course. He’s got a great Trackhouse Racing Chevy Camaro under him. There are a lot of things that have to go right, but right now, the Supercars driver is looking strong.

Will there be a challenge from one of the Cup regulars on Sunday? Is van Gisbergen on his way to a pole award?