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Shane van Gisbergen’s return to the NASCAR Cup Series field at Indianapolis has been met with equal parts enthusiasm and expectation.
van Gisbergen made a great first impression last month when he was victorious on the Chicago street course with Trackhouse Racing in the PROJECT91 entry. It was van Gisbergen’s first start in NASCAR, and with how quickly he took to it, some in the garage – as well as the oddsmakers – have him as one of the favorites for a repeat on the Indianapolis road course.
But not van Gisbergen. When asked Wednesday if he was worried his Chicago triumph has set the bar too high on what others now expect of him, van Gisbergen shared it was a different kind of talk that had his attention.
“I just think it’s cool they all know my name now, because they didn’t last time I was here,” van Gisbergen said. “But I don’t know about the expectations of things. Obviously my cars still got the yellow stripes on the back that stands out. But I still got a lot to learn.”
van Gisbergen will not be the only experienced ringer in the field at Indianapolis, with the likes of Brodie Kostecki, Kami Kobayashi, Mike Rockenfeller, and Jenson Button among those on the entry list. It’s also a course that NASCAR drivers have experience on, with Sunday being its third event.
Indianapolis is 14 turns, 2.439 miles. The first turn was the trouble spot the first two years with contact, drivers going off course, and dive bombing into the right-hander.