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?
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