Trackhouse Racing announces Shane van Gisbergen, three-time Supercars champ to drive Project 91 car at Chicago
The No. 91 Trackhouse Racing team is going to be back in action at the Chicago Street Race. Shane van Gisbergen is the chosen driver this time around. Kimi Räikkönen has driven the 91 car twice to varying success. Now, the Kiwi, Gisbergen will give NASCAR a try.
In his full-time job, Gisbergen races in the Supercars Championship. It is an Australian racing series where he drives a Chevy Camaro ZL1. Not only does the three-time Supercars champ have experience on the roads and streets, but he also has endurance wins on his record as well.
When you look at drivers around the world that could be put into any car and immediately compete – Shane van Gisbergen is one of those guys. Trackhouse Racing has landed a true talent for the Chicago Street Race.
Stock car racing is a rough and physical sport. Even among other motorsports, there isn’t anything quite like it. However, with how much experience Gisbergen has in Supercars, rally cars, and even sprint cars on the dirt, it puts him in rare air.
If the hype around this pick is true, we could see a truly great one-ff performance. Regardless, this puts more eyes on NASCAR and a brand-new event in the sport.
Trackhouse Racing continues to be that team
No matter what your feelings are about Ross Chastain or Trackhouse Racing in general, you can’t deny they know how to win over fans. Trackhouse has taken on the role of being the team of the future, as it were. They brought on two drivers that never had a win before coming on board. Now, they’re both Cup Series winners and competing week in and week out.
Adding the third car, Project 91 as it has been dubbed, has only added to that brand. When you talk about bringing F1 champions, Supercar champions, and other drivers to stock car racing, it is a big deal. When we saw all of the road course aces at COTA ealrier this season, that was no mistake. And Trackhouse should be looked at as a major player in that trend lately.
If you want fans of other motorsports to respect NASCAR, this is how you do it. Grab a champion or a winner from another series and put them in a stock car. Trackhouse Racing is working on being more of a global brand, than just an American one.
Shane van Gisbergen is going to be a very interesting addition to the Chicago Street Race. He might just beat and bang with these NASCAR drivers and impress a lot of people along the way.