Shane van Gisbergen's first superspeedway test comes at NASCAR's scariest track
Shane van Gisbergen's 2024 victory at the Chicago Street Course was an incredible feat.
Winning in his first NASCAR Cup Series start, van Gisbergen quickly became the hottest name in the sport.
Preparing for a possible full-time Cup Series opportunity in 2025, van Gisbergen will start his first Cup Series superspeedway race at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro, a pivotal moment in his NASCAR career. The race is also van Gisbergen's first oval start in NASCAR's premier series.
Cup Series superspeedway racing is a different beast than superspeedway racing in the Xfinity Series and certainly much different than the Supercar racing SVG was doing before coming to America.
However, van Gisbergen's body of work in the Xfinity Series so far this season could point to a positive outlook for Sunday's race, which will be one of his biggest tests in NASCAR so far.
In the Xfinity Series' two superspeedway races in 2024, van Gisbergen has two top-12 finishes, including an impressive third-place run at Atlanta, where van Gisbergen managed his fuel mileage to a tee to get his best Xfinity Series finish so far.
What's just as impressive as his finishes so far, though, is van Gisbergen's stability behind the wheel – he hasn't caused a big crash yet in his debut season at a superspeedway or any other track, for that matter. That aspect of his driving creates a certain respect amongst his fellow drivers, who are usually a little skeptical of newcomers.
Talladega presents a challenge unlike anything van Gisbergen has ever seen. A track that's longer and wider than Daytona, it's come to be known as one of the scariest tracks in the sport, due to its history for crazy crashes and a very high likelihood that your car won't see the checkered flag.
If van Gisbergen can keep his car in one piece on Sunday, his Talladega debut will be a success. Anything else who be icing on the cake.
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