Nascar Can't Ever Be A Serious Sport Until Its Superstar Drivers Stop Getting Embarrassed On Road Courses

Trackhouse Racing

Shane Van Gisbergen is making nan remainder of nan NASCAR grid look for illustration chumps. This play astatine Watkins Glen International the 36-year-old Kiwi perfectly obliterated nan section to return his ninth roadworthy people triumph since making nan modulation from Australian Supercars champion to Trackhouse Racing's full-time roadworthy people ringer. With 4 wins connected nan season, doubly arsenic galore arsenic existent bid points leader William Byron, SVG is locked successful to nan playoffs and theoretically eligible for nan 2025 NASCAR Cup title successful his rookie season, thing only six different drivers person ever done. OK, truthful he isn't rather up to velocity yet erstwhile it comes to oval racing, but he's holding his ain and learning pinch each passing race. 

While galore vocal NASCAR fans connected societal media are decrying roadworthy courses arsenic anathema to nan sport, nan group moving nan crippled are learning nan aforesaid lessons that IndyCar learned 20 years ago, ovals conscionable don't person nan aforesaid tie that they utilized to. Younger fans for illustration roadworthy people racing, and arsenic Formula 1's power continues to turn successful nan U.S. market, NASCAR wants to drawback immoderate of that rising tide for itself. With six roadworthy and thoroughfare courses connected nan almanac for 2025, Trackhouse knew that if it wanted to return immoderate wins and support sponsors happy, they needed a driver successful nan lineup who could present while turning near and right. 

SVG's capacity this play made thing crystal clear, he's miles up of immoderate different driver successful NASCAR correct now erstwhile it comes to roadworthy courses. 

Every different squad successful NASCAR has known nan 2025 bid schedule would see six roadworthy courses since early 2024, but apparently didn't do overmuch of thing different to prepare. Yes, six races retired of a monolithic 36-race play is hardly capable to triumph you a championship, but astatine 17% of nan season, it's a beautiful important chunk. A smaller team, for illustration Trackhouse, could person focused its resources connected getting setups perfect, aliases training its drivers connected immoderate of these events to effort to get a important triumph for that all-important playoffs eligibility, but apparently nary of them took it earnestly capable to moreover beryllium wrong nan aforesaid zip codification arsenic SVG and Trackhouse. With 4 roadworthy people wins connected nan trot, and only losing a 5th astatine Circuit of nan Americas by dint of getting punted, Van Gisbergen is really putting his people connected nan athletics this year.

Don't get maine wrong, a batch of this occurrence is borne retired by Shane's immense talent and 17 seasons successful remarkably akin touring car machinery down under. But don't hide that NASCAR's aureate boy slur-shouter Kyle Larson erstwhile said he could hit four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen successful adjacent equipment. Shane isn't Max Verstappen by immoderate agelong of nan imagination, and Larson can't moreover negociate to hit him pinch a decade of location tribunal advantage. Kyle's mean decorativeness connected a roadworthy people crossed nan 2025 play truthful acold is 31st, buoyed by a 13th spot decorativeness astatine nan Mexico City round. By comparison Shane's mean decorativeness is 2nd, dragged down by a 6th astatine COTA. Maybe instead of worrying astir a movie that came retired 19 years ago, he should beryllium worried astir his ain performance. Embarrassing, dude. I'd ne'er show my look successful nationalist again if I were him. 

Trackhouse Racing

Last weekend's title is nan cleanable show of SVG's talents. He didn't person nan fastest car, falling conscionable short of Team Penske's Ryan Blaney, to commencement nan title from 2nd place. The full title was a complete strategy play for SVG, arsenic he knew he could prevention his tires for nan last shape of nan race. Once nan last information of pit stops filtered through, Van Gisbergen was astatine nan beforehand pinch conscionable capable substance to make it to nan decorativeness and nan talent to support his velocity up without burning disconnected his tires. For nan last 30 laps aliases so, he was conscionable toying pinch nan field, slow and methodically building nan 11-second spread that he vanished nan title with. He wasn't mounting fastest laps, acold from it, he was moving astir 1.5 seconds disconnected his car's outright pace, but he was still half a 2nd a thigh clear of nan field. A blimpish SVG is still half a 2nd per thigh astatine Watkins Glen faster than nan hardest chargers nan athletics tin propulsion astatine him. 

NASCAR has benignant of ever been a joke successful nan section of world motorsport. Practically cipher extracurricular of nan U.S. takes it seriously. That's decidedly a mistake, because location are immoderate earnestly talented drivers successful this field. It is downright embarrassing that nan biggest teams and their multi-millionaire drivers are either incapable to, aliases possibly moreover unwilling to, return roadworthy people racing earnestly capable to equine a situation against a newcomer rookie. SVG is talented, nary uncertainty astir it, and his 2025 title grounds should consciousness for illustration a achromatic oculus to each azygous driver he beat.