標籤: Gisbergens

At this point, Shane van Gisbergen’s dominance on the road course seems inevitable. Watkins Glen was the latest example of this. The Trackhouse Racing driver entered the field late in the race, passed more than 20 cars in the final stages and then pulled away from the pack and won by more than seven seconds. The scary thing for the rest of the garage is that two NASCAR veterans believe their biggest advantage still can’t be copied by the rest of the drivers.

Following SVG’s latest masterclass, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick break down why the former Supercars champion is operating on a completely different level when the series turns left and right.

For Dell Jr., it starts with technology. Speaking on the Dale Jr. Download Podcast, Earnhardt explained that Van Gisbergen’s use of the clutch during the braking zone is something that most Cup drivers do not grow up learning.

“He (SVG) is braking with his right foot. And his foot is on the clutch,” Dale Jr. explained. “And so when it starts to sense that the rear tires are trying to gain time, such as engine braking, trying to drag the rear tire or even induce wheel hop, it will modulate the clutch a little bit to reduce the load on the drivetrain.”

Earnhardt said this technology also helps Shane Van Gisbergen get the car deeper into the corners without damaging the rear tires. “He’ll release the clutch a little bit or use the clutch pedal to help pitch the car and turn.”

This may seem trivial on paper, but it’s actually not something drivers can easily learn halfway through their careers.

“It’s a technique you have to have from the day you start driving a race car,” he said. “There’s no chance in hell, no fuck’s way. There’s only one driver in the NASCAR Cup field today who can implement and adopt this technology and do it well.”

Kevin Harvick thinks Shane van Gisbergen’s biggest advantage may actually be mental

While Dale Jr. focused on the technical side, Kevin Harvick turned to something else entirely. Experience. Patience. And knowing how much there is to reveal.

On Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, the 2014 Cup champion explained why Shane van Gisbergen is far more dangerous than the typical road-course specialist NASCAR used to see years ago.

According to Harvick, many “ringers” have struggled in the past because they never fully adapted to the weekly rhythm of NASCAR racing.

“He’s also really good at communicating with his car and with his team,” Harvick said. “He has the maturity to know how to play the game off the racetrack, what to say, what not to say, keeping his cards pretty close to his vest.”

Harvick believes his calm approach gives Van Gisbergen another advantage over the field as competitors still do not fully know everything he is capable of.

“He’s got a great poker face, he’s a showman,” Harvick said. “He’s really good at making sure he’ll help you, but I don’t think he’ll show you everything he has because no one else can do that.”

At this point, SVG is no longer just the exotic road-course guy who occasionally comes in and steals a win. Drivers now know they understand NASCAR strategy, tire management, restarts and race flow at an even higher level. And as Harvick pointed out, he’s still learning.

Which raises a very uncomfortable question for the rest of the field: what happens when Shane van Gisbergen becomes as dangerous on the Oval as he already is on the road?

My love for motorsports began as a child watching races with my family in Tunisia. Fast forward to today… more about Farah Ben Gamra

NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane Van Gisbergen’s streak of five consecutive road course wins ended last Sunday at Circuit of the Americas, where he finished second to Tyler Reddick. Viewed by some as the best road-course driver in NASCAR history, he may soon get a challenger.

In the latest episode of “Actions Detrimental” coming from COTA, Denny Hamlin shared his belief that Van Gisbergen’s “road course supremacy” will soon be shared by 19-year-old Cup Series driver Connor Zylisch.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin Praises Another Driver for Great Road Course Improvement

“I think SVG is going to keep company in the road-course dominance bracket. It appears Zylisch is really, really there… I mean he’s already got to pass the race craft and build speed… As the weekend went on, he got better and faster. I think we’re going to be talking about him, certainly for a handful of races here where we’re racing left and right. Will turn.”

Denny Hamlin on Conor Zylisch’s ability to challenge street driving, Shane van Gisbergen

Heading into the NASCAR schedule at Phoenix this weekend, Zylisch has the fifth-fewest points (37) among full-time drivers in the Cup Series. That doesn’t tell the whole story about how well the rookie has been driving the No. 88 car this season for Trackhouse Racing.

While Zylisch finished 33rd in the Daytona 500, he was actually running third on Lap 85 when the car spun slightly and was then involved in a major wreck. The following week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Zylisch was sixth on the restart on Lap 93 and eighth on Lap 135 before falling back to 30th after getting stuck behind some debris.

RELATED: NASCAR Power Rankings after COTA, see where SVG and Denny Hamlin land

However, the real standout performance came last week at COTA. The No. 88 car struggled in practice and qualifying, resulting in the team starting 25th on Sunday. To his credit, Zilisch made his way into the top 10 at the start of Stage 2. Unfortunately for Trackhouse, he spun in Turn 1 at the start of Stage 2 after being dumped by Daniel Suarez while passing the field No. 88 as it sat sideways.

Remarkably, Zylisch once again moved through the field with one of the fastest cars of the day. Unfortunately, misfortune struck him again in the final stages. In the same Turn 1 with 17 laps to go, Hamlin caused Zillisch’s second spinout when the No. 11 spun into the back of William Byron and effectively pushed the No. 24 into the other cars, resulting in Zillisch’s car spinning.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin predicts how Tyler Reddick finishes in the regular season

Zillisch suddenly found himself back in 32nd place with only 16 laps remaining. He was looking at the possibility of finishing outside the top 30 for the third consecutive race. Instead, he showed his mastercraft on the road courses by maneuvering through the field and moving up to 24th with 10 laps to go, moving up to 17th on the final lap and ultimately finishing the day in 14th.

By the end of the day, Zilisch had made 56 passes throughout the race and finished the day with a more respectable 23 points. He was one of the most impressive drivers so far at COTA on Sunday, showing that he was the only driver at any level last season who could consistently keep pace with SVG on road courses.

The 19-year-old is showcasing his magical skills on the roadways, which can only be matched by someone who is 36 years old and has much more driving experience. Given the year-to-year improvement SVG has shown on ovals since the start of last season, Zylisch’s career trajectory could make him one of the best drivers in NASCAR in just a few years. Until then, he’ll battle SVG to become the best road-course driver in NASCAR this season and beyond.

READ MORE: NASCAR Odds 4 Picks This Week Including Phoenix, Denny Hamlin

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson