Our favorite Kiwi driver in NASCAR had his first outing in Talladega and had a wild experience. While the first stage was hunky dory, the second stage was pure chaos at the Ag-Pro 300 Xfinity race. Yet Shane van Gisbergen fought tooth and nail for the lead. He grabbed it for a little interval, only to let it slip through his fingers for some late wrecking drama.
Now that Gisbergen is acquainted with Talladega’s steep banks, he is preparing for his Cup start there. And he is doing that in a light mood: jesting about special offerings on the wide green grass of Turn 3.
Shane van Gisbergen tickles NASCAR fans
The three-time Bathurst 1000 champion is amidst a hectic schedule this weekend. After undergoing a tumultuous race in Xfinity, now Shane van Gisbergen is loading his engines for the big game. He will make his fourth Cup start at the GEICO 500 in Talladega. After his glorious Chicago win last year, the Indianapolis and the COTA starts, Gisbergen is confident on American soil by now.
He qualified as the 17th-fastest for the Cup race. However, his doubts are strewn over the place, because of uncertainty. Gisbergen said, “I don’t know, that car drove way different, but they say in qualifying to race, those cars are pretty different. “So, we’ll see what it’s like tomorrow; try and learn.”
And to relax, Shane van Gisbergen chose to crack a hilarious joke on X. He posted the photo of a dog going number 2 on the sprawling grass field of Talladega Superspeedway’s turn 3. Gisbergen tweeted, warning Xfinity drivers, “Drivers – Cautions for Landmines inside T3”
This triggered a series of funny responses from fans. iRacing persona Dustin McGrew referred to Clint Bowyer’s iconic race videos: “Put it out!” Another fan quipped: “As @ClintBowyer would say, “Put it out!!””
A few others directly referred to the dump on the field. “I still had the car under control until I hit 💩and sent me straight into wall”. Another fan wove a horrific tale. “Imagine crashing and then getting out of the car and the first step you take is in a dog pile 💩”
Imagine crashing and then getting out of the car and the first step you take is in a dog pile 💩
— Keith Sherman (@Shermanator_15) April 21, 2024
One NASCAR fan structured a whole story out of the scenario. “Imagine wrecking in turn 3 at Talladega, you hop out of the smoking remains of your race car… and you step in a dog turd. Ultimate bad day at the track.”
As fans offer vivid stories around the Kiwi’s joke, Shane van Gisbergen liked the Talladega story better than his earlier exploits.
Gisbergen felt at ease in Talladega
The Talladega Superspeedway is a plate track, which relegates more importance to racecraft. Shane van Gisbergen admitted that while riding around half-throttle in the first stage, things got wild from the second stage. Yet he did push ahead and had a solid chance for the lead until his No. 97 Chevrolet Camaro ran out of fuel in the end.
But Shane van Gisbergen admitted that he enjoyed the race. “But, it was a pretty awesome day, Wendy’s Camaro was good, and I led a lap – that was pretty exciting – and battling up the front. I had fun and I felt a lot more comfortable than I have at Daytona, for example. Yeah, I was making some moves instead of just riding and felt really cool.”
Now that Gisbergen will fire his engines at NASCAR’s premier race on the same track, let us see if he builds on his fuel mistake.