Shane van Gisbergen returning to NASCAR Cup Series for seven races, joins Xfinity full-time
The dream continues for Shane Van Gisbergen.
The Auckland, New Zealand, native burst onto the NASCAR scene in historic fashion last summer, winning the inaugural Chicago Street Race in his Cup Series debut.
A three-time Supercar champion, the 34-year-old driver will race full-time in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series and run in seven Cup races in 2024.
“After winning in Chicago, I could not stop thinking about racing full time in NASCAR,” Van Gisbergen said in a release. “I am still stunned at how quickly this has all come together. I must thank the NASCAR industry and fans for embracing me and allowing me to chase this dream. I respect every driver who has put in the work to make it to the Cup Series, and I am ready to put in that same effort. I am anxious to get started.”
In the Xfinity Series, Van Gisbergen will drive the No. 97 Chevy Camaro for Kaulig Racing.
His seven Cup races include Charlotte’s Coca-Cola 600 and a return to downtown Chicago. His full Cup slate: Circuit of the Americas on March 24; Talladega on April 21 and Oct. 6; Charlotte on May 26; Chicago on July 7; Watkins Glen on Sept. 15; and Las Vegas on Oct. 20.
It is still unclear whether his Cup starts will be with Trackhouse Racing — which has had him in its development program — or Kaulig.
“We know Shane will be incredibly competitive at the road course events in both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity series, but we wanted to get him as much experience on NASCAR ovals as possible, so I am really excited about his 2024 schedule,” Trackhouse Racing founder and owner Justin Marks said in a release. “Kaulig Racing has a history of winning in the Xfinity Series and as a fellow Chevrolet team, we are so thankful Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice see the potential in Shane that we see. The anticipation for this season is palpable.”
Van Gisbergen, whose Camaro will be sponsored by WeatherTech for most of his races, also ran in the Cup Series last year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course and finished 10th.
In the Xfinity Series, he’ll join Kaulig Racing teammates AJ Allmendinger and Josh Williams. Kaulig, based in Welcome, has won a pair of Cup races and 23 Xfinity races since its inception in 2016, most notably Allmendinger’s triumph at the Charlotte Roval this fall.
“We started our talks with Trackhouse about the possibility of putting SVG in a Xfinity car for a few races quite some time ago, and from there the talks evolved to discussions about how much it would cost to run a full season,” Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing, said in a release. “Once we knew we had an open seat for next season, it became the perfect scenario to put him in the car. We partner with Trackhouse’s pit crew department, and with their key support from Chevrolet, it made teaming up an easy decision.”