![\"SVG](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Supercars-AdelaideGrandFinal-741-copy.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNASCAR driver Austin Cindric during the Adelaide Grand Final, driving for Tickford Racing. Image: InSyde Media<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNASCAR driver Austin Cindric during the Adelaide Grand Final, driving for Tickford Racing. Image: InSyde Media<\/p>\n
Cindric joined Tickford Racing for the 2025 Supercars season finale where he failed to crack the top 20 across all three races.<\/p>\n
It was a relatively incident-free weekend for Team Penske\u2019s Cup Series star, save for a broken splitter after clipping the Senna Chicane tyre bundle.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the KTM Summer Grill, van Gisbergen said it showed just how good the Supercars drivers are.<\/p>\n
However, he tempered that statement with the expectation that very few Supercars drivers would go any better on an oval<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, he was last,\u201d said van Gisbergen.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur guys are so good over there, that\u2019s the thing. People realise the level of Supercars is really high.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven the back markers are pretty decent drivers all through the junior categories. You don\u2019t end up in Supercars because you\u2019re average.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was going to be very difficult for him, and especially at the end of the year when everyone\u2019s tuned up. They\u2019ve just done a few street circuits and a lot of time in the cars.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019d be very difficult for him to jump in there, and I think he did a solid job. The conditions look pretty difficult on Saturday. He did solid, but yeah, it\u2019s always going to be tough jumping in a category like that and going hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou put any one of the Supercar drivers in an oval, and they\u2019ll be at the back as well. They\u2019re two completely different disciplines I think.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cindric wasn\u2019t the first driver in mind to tackle the Supercars wildcard. Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson were both tapped for the opportunity, but neither opportunity came to fruition.<\/p>\n
Van Gisbergen said he would be keen to see how Larson would fare, considering his similarly broad racing CV.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a pretty diverse racing background,\u201d said van Gisbergen of Larson.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt probably will scare people off. As I said, it\u2019s a tough, tough category. Every time you see an outsider come in, it\u2019s pretty difficult for them to do well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we should be proud of the level that that series is at.\u201d<\/p>\n
So would van Gisbergen ever consider coming back to Australia for the Adelaide Grand Final?<\/p>\n
Right now, it\u2019s a firm no \u2013 and he reckons the same is true for fellow Supercars champions Scott McLaughlin or Jamie Whincup.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe one day, but I think it would be stupid for myself, or Scotty or Jamie, for example, to do Adelaide,\u201d van Gisbergen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would not want to be involved in the championship fight, especially because you\u2019d probably be in a top team that\u2019s involved in the championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I was to do a wildcard, I\u2019d be retired and do it mid-season, or do Bathurst or something. I would never want to get involved in the championship final.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more of the latest NASCAR news stories, visit MotorRacing.com<\/a><\/p>\n