Shane van Gisbergen’s recent reflections on his NASCAR experience, particularly following the chaotic Iowa race, have highlighted a fundamental difference between the Cup Series and Xfinity Series, and a significant issue with the Next-Generation car itself.
The weekend at Iowa Speedway was marked by a significant number of cautions, a result attributed by many to the unique characteristics of the short track and, ultimately, the inherent problems of the Next-Gen car. Shane van Gisbergen, a former 80-time Supercars race winner, offered a stark assessment, revealing a critical distinction based on his experiences navigating both series.
“I got in the Xfinity car and had no idea what was happening. It drives like a forklift, the way the rear end moves,” he confessed during his time in the Trackhouse Racing Project 91 program. This experience led him to articulate a crucial observation: “It’s like a little death zone.” The “death zone” refers to the significant risk of catastrophic crashes when maneuvering a Cup car, particularly in situations involving aerodynamic wash.
Van Gisbergen’s insights gained from his Xfinity experience, coupled with the frustrations of other drivers like Dale Jr. and Kevin Harvick, are shedding light on a key challenge for NASCAR’s new generation of cars. The Next-Gen car’s passing issues and aerodynamic instabilities have proven particularly problematic, as van Gisbergen described. “Like you hang out in an Xfinity car, you can upset the guy in front of you, and if you get a bit of an aero wash, you can hang out to the right, and it’s not too bad. You know, it kind of helps you turn. Whereas if you hang out to the right in a Cup car, you’re having a big crash.”
Beyond his racing observations, van Gisbergen is also establishing a comfortable life outside of NASCAR. After leaving his highly successful Supercars career in 2023, he has established a farm near Mooresville, North Carolina, complete with a diverse collection of animals, including horses, cats, chickens, goats, and two dogs – one of which, a red heeler named Steve, is described as a “menace” but nonetheless “cool.” He has even repurposed a paddock into a makeshift racetrack, utilizing a repurposed S10 and other donor vehicles for informal racing sessions.
Despite the challenges posed by the Next-Gen car, Shane van Gisbergen remains committed to mastering NASCAR, with a particular focus on adapting to the sport’s oval racing circuits. The sky appears limitless for the Kiwi speedster as he continues to integrate himself into the NASCAR world, a world he now finds both “terrifying” and exciting.
