As the Supercars Championship prepares for rounds 16 and 17 during this weekend’s NTI Townsville 500, three-time series champion Shane van Gisbergen continues to be the hot topic.
Van Gisbergen scored a dominant win during his first NASCAR Cup Series start, driving for Trackhouse Racing in last weekend’s Chicago Street Race.
The triumph spurred discussion that the 34-year-old driver could be headed for the United States on a full-time basis. Speculation even spurred Jamie Whincup, who owns the Red Bull Ampol Supercars team that van Gisbergen drives for in Australia, to say he would “not stand in the way” if van Gisbergen pursued a NASCAR opportunity.
Van Gisbergen, however, told Australian media ahead of this weekend’s race, he was committed to Red Bull Ampol Supercars through 2024.
“My phone’s been running hot but I don’t have any proper offers yet, obviously,” said van Gisbergen, according to Supercars.com. “I really want to keep going and try some more stuff and, as I said, I’m committed to here next year but obviously I’ve read Jamie’s comments, which are interesting.
“I haven’t spoken to Jamie yet, though.”
Van Gisbergen, who makes his 500th Supercars start this weekend, said he knows the transition to becoming a full-time NASCAR driver would be a challenge.
“The oval is a completely different world,” said van Gisbergen. “I have no illusion that I’d go there and run up the front — that would take a long time. Obviously, you want to try, but having six to eight road courses in the coming years, that’s appealing.”
Van Gisbergen is a 10-time winner at Townsville.
Catch all the Supercars racing action on SPEED SPORT 1 at speedsport1.com. Round 16 will be LIVE at 12:40 a.m. (ET) on Saturday, while Round 17 will air at 12:40 a.m. (ET) on Sunday.