Shane van Gisbergen will make his return to the NASCAR Cup Series field this weekend, as he will attempt to follow up his victory in the inaugural Chicago Street Course race earlier this season.
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That isn't the biggest news surrounding the driver from New Zealand, however, as many fans among others are speculating about his jump to full-time NASCAR racing in 2024.
Will Shane van Gisbergen Make the NASCAR Jump in 2024?
Photo by Vincent Johnson/Xinhua via Getty Images
During his appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this week, Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks was asked plenty about the prospects of SVG driving for Trackhouse next season.
What are the odds we see @shanevg97 drive for @TeamTrackhouse next season?
🤔 "I think we're gonna have some pretty big conversations this weekend with him about what next year looks like and what we can offer him" - @JustinMarksTH pic.twitter.com/ActBErl5Lz
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) August 9, 2023
"I think we're going to have some pretty big conversations this weekend with him about what next year looks like and what we can offer him," Marks said.
However, Marks did note that the difficulties of expanding a team are huge. With only 36 chartered teams in the NASCAR Cup Series, it isn't easy for a current two-car team to grow to having three-full time riders.
"There are a couple of ways to expand, and we are committed to being as creative as possible and figuring out how to do that," Marks said. "I think he doesn't have an interest, if he comes over here, doing it with anybody else."
It isn't a traditional way of entering the Cup Series by a long shot, but Marks credits other foreign-born drivers such Juan Pablo Montoya and Marcos Ambrose in terms of the path they had to follow to get to the top series.
"You have to look how Ambrose did it, you have to look at how Montoya did it," Marks said. "It takes time, and you need good partners behind it and a team that's committed to going through that development process, so we're just working on it right now."
It sure seems that if this is going to work out for van Gisbergen, Trackhouse will be the team he will be driving for. The prospects could get even better if he can go out and win on the Indianapolis Road Course this weekend. Don't forget he is also getting his first try on an oval in the truck series as well.
He may not have a full-time ride yet, but one thing is for sure: Van Gisbergen has his eyes on the prize, and that is racing in NASCAR.
