SHANE van Gisbergen will be looking for a return to one of his better ovals in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend, as the Red Bull driver heads to Kansas Speedway.
The Kiwi has some quality form on the board from Kansas last year in the NASCAR Cup Series – in the corresponding event, after qualifying 34th, he improved to 20th in the race, while he later converted 24th into 10th, which at the time was his top oval finish in the sport’s top tier.
Subsequently, he finished sixth in Atlanta earlier this year, a track that features a distance similar to Kansas, while his average finishing position of 15th at the venue is the tenth best in the field.
Meanwhile, in the second division of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2024, van Gisbergen finished eighth in the sole race at the venue, one of the five top-10 results he recorded on ovals that year.
Van Gisbergen puts his form at the venue down to experience.
“I guess it was later in the year – we were just getting better and better,” said van Gisbergen.
“I think we had some races where we had better speed than that, but I didn’t get it right, or we got crashed out or something.
“I felt like we were getting toward the top 10 more often than not at the end, which was really cool.
“But yeah, I really like Kansas (Speedway), you can run all over the track and try to find grip and speed.
“Every race, I’m learning something new and trying to keep good notes. I try to have a good notebook of setup stuff, too.
“Even though we have a new body and rule set, the setup advancements that we have made for my style of racing have certainly translated this year.
“It’s time and experience, going back to these tracks now for my third and fourth races there, kind of makes the difference.
“I know what to expect, how to approach the weekend, and how the track is going to change. All of that stuff just adds up.”
The Kiwi will be seeking to steady the ship this weekend, as he currently holds onto the final place in the 16-car Chase by a lone point.
To date this season, he led the Daytona 500 before being involved in an accident, finished sixth at Atlanta, second at COTA, 11th at Phoenix, 36th at Las Vegas, 14th at Darlington, 11th at Martinsville, and 34th last time out at Bristol.
Following this weekend is a mixed bag of events, with Talladega leading into Texas and Watkins Glen, which has been brought forward in the schedule for 2026.
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