{"id":588807,"date":"2026-09-03T11:04:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T11:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/588807\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T11:04:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T11:04:13","slug":"van-gisbergen-makes-enjoyment-a-priority-for-rest-of-nascar-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/588807\/","title":{"rendered":"Van Gisbergen makes enjoyment a priority for rest of NASCAR season"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Zealand driver Shane van Gisbergen is planning on having “some fun” in the remainder of the NASCAR championship now that his play-off hopes are over.<\/p>\n

Van Gisbergen fell out of contention for “The Chase” after a disappointing 20th-place finish in the last round in New Hampshire.<\/p>\n

He fell one spot to 17th in the season standings with the top 16 contending for the overall title via a 10-race postseason knockout competition.<\/p>\n

SVG admits it would have been nice to have qualified for the playoffs in his second full season in NASCAR.<\/p>\n

“I would have been pretty stoked, but the reality is that we have struggled a bit,” he said in a Trackhouse team statement.<\/p>\n

With two wins and five top five finishes this season, van Gisbergen is two places ahead of team-mate Ross Chastain in the standings.<\/p>\n

“We know how good [Chastain] is on the ovals, and I think I’ve made a big jump this year to be able to match him most weeks.<\/p>\n

“There’s a lot of hard work going on, but we definitely need to improve if we want to have that opportunity at making [The Chase] next season.”<\/p>\n

\"Shane<\/p>\n

Shane van Gisbergen celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Sonoma Raceway, Sunday, June 28, 2026, in Sonoma (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Overall, van Gisbergen is happy with his season so far and the improvement he is making on ovals. All of the eight career wins in NASCAR have come on road tracks.<\/p>\n

There are 10 races left in the season, and while all the drivers take part, only the top 16 are in contention for the overall title.<\/p>\n

The 37-year-old knows what he’d like to achieve in the remaining rounds.<\/p>\n

“I guess we can try things now, take a bit more risk and just have some fun, low stress.<\/p>\n

“But also work to do the best we can and learn more about what we need out of the car at certain tracks and prepare for next season.”<\/p>\n

The next NASCAR round is at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina this weekend.<\/p>\n

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