Van Gisbergen reacts to first NASCAR laps

Three-time Repco Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen has gotten his first taste of stock car machinery, as the Kiwi prepares for his NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend in Chicago.

The 33-year old Red Bull Ampol Racing driver conducted a test day with Trackhouse Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday (Tuesday Australian time), turning his first and only real-world laps before

“We had a pretty cool first day at Charlotte Motor Speedway,” the two-time Bathurst 1000 winner said. “First time here. First time driving the NASCAR, it was awesome.”

“The car, well, the team did a really awesome job getting me comfortable and up to speed. I got all the right feelings in the car, and yeah, it feels comfortable.

“Similar in some ways to what I'm used to, but in other ways completely different.”

Van Gisbergen will compete for Trackhouse’s “Project 91” program, which the team is running part-time for start international drivers.

The most recent driver to race the Project 91 car was two-time Formula One world champion Kimi Räikkönen.

This weekend marks the first-ever NASCAR race on a temporary street circuit, which will take place around the famed Hyde Park along Lake Michigan.

Van Gisbergen arrived in America last week to watch on as Trackhouse took its first win of the 2023 season at Nashville Superspeedway this past weekend.

“It felt cool. I got plenty of laps and tried a few things to get comfortable. Lots of driving style stuff and yeah, I feel a little bit more confident now that I've driven the car for getting on the streets this weekend.”

The 78-time Supercars race winner admitted he’s in for an “intense” weekend, where he will be tasked with taking on the best teams and drivers in American stock car racing.

Immediately following this weekend’s Chicago Street Race, van Gisbergen will head back across the Pacific to North Queensland, where another street race lies in wait at the NTI Townsville 500.

The Sunday race in Townsville is scheduled to mark van Gisbergen’s 500th career Supercars start, at the venue where he swept both races in 2022.

Van Gisbergen is currently fourth in the Supercars drivers’ standings through five rounds, but trails championship leader Brodie Kostecki by just 110 points as the 2023 campaign nears its midway point.

The NTI Townsville 500 takes place July 7-9 on the streets of Townsville, with live coverage available on Seven and Foxtel, and streaming options available through 7plus and Kayo.