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The next entry into Project 91 from Trackhouse Racing features someone NASCAR fans may not know as well. New Zealand native Shane van Gisbergen will run at the Chicago Street Course on July 2. Who is van Gisbergen and what brought him to NASCAR?
Shan van Gisbergen is a three-time Australian Supercars Champion. He was born on May 9, 1989 in Auckland, New Zealand. Auckland is a city that has produced multiple great racing drivers such as the namesake for McLaren Racing Limited, Bruce McLaren.
According to redbull.com, van Gisbergen got his first ATV at five years old and worked his way up the racing ladder from there. After racing quarter midgets, ATVs, and winning a New Zealand Formula Fort Championship in 2006, he was ready for the big time. He would make the jump up to V8 Supercars at the tender age of 18 years old in 2007.
It took him some time to find success, but when he did, he started to shine. He got his first career win in 2011 at the Hamilton Street Circuit in Hamilton, New Zealand. He would also score his best career points finish, as he finished in fourth.
Van Gisbergen would even make his first trip to the United States in 2014 to run the Rolex 24 at Daytona. In five attempts at the event, his best finish was second in the GTD for Alex Job Racing.
One year later in 2016, van Gisbergen finally broke through and won his first Supercars championship. He would go on to win two more championships in 2021 and 2022. In 2022, he would win 20 races, a record for Supercars.
He also has won the prestigious Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama in 2020. He would repeat the feat in his championship winning season of 2022.
Justin Marks began running Project 91 out of Trackhouse Racing in 2022. He has run Kimi Raikkonen twice out of the entry, with Raikkonen finishing in 37th at Watkins Glen in 2022 and 29th at COTA in 2023. Marks had previously mentioned that he hopes to use Project 91 at more races in 2023.
Shane van Gisbergen is definitely one of the most intriguing entries in a NASCAR race this year. He probably is in the best position to have success that any road course ringer has in quite a bit. With his success in cars similar to stock cars on road courses, he seems like he could give the NASCAR stars a run for their money.
