Shane Van Gisbergen knows that the NASCAR Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday could determine the fate of his season, despite seven races remaining after this event. The Trackhouse Racing driver, who secured a playoff spot by winning four road course races, now finds himself in a position where a victory at Bristol is crucial to continuing his championship pursuit.
Since the playoffs began two races ago, Van Gisbergen has encountered difficulties, finishing 32nd at Darlington and 25th at Gateway. Currently 14th in the standings and 16 points behind Austin Cindric—the 12th-place driver and final qualifier for the next round—Van Gisbergen faces a challenging battle to advance to the Round of 12 quarterfinals.
Approach to Bristol Amid High Pressure
Despite the pressure of this must-win scenario, Van Gisbergen is maintaining a calm and measured mindset. Asked about the stakes surrounding Saturday night’s race, he emphasized a balanced approach to avoid the intense pressure that often hinders performance.
Just to try and be level-headed about it,
he said during Friday’s media session at Bristol.
So, yeah, I think we’ve just been pretty level-headed and tried to just approach it like we have been.
Season Context and Challenges on Ovals
Van Gisbergen is in his first full season in the NASCAR Cup Series after completing a full Xfinity Series season, where he also made the playoffs but finished last among the twelve contenders. His strengths clearly lie on road courses, given his four wins and solid finishes like a sixth place at Austin.
However, his performance on ovals has been limited. His best results on such tracks this year are 14th place finishes both in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and at Richmond. Aside from these, he typically finishes 20th or worse on ovals, which highlights the difficulty he faces at Bristol, a short 0.533-mile oval known for steep banking and limited passing opportunities.
Van Gisbergen’s previous Bristol outing this season ended prematurely due to suspension problems, forcing him to a disappointing 38th-place finish. This remains his worst result of the year and adds to the challenge of succeeding this weekend.
Optimism Based on Recent Oval Improvements
Despite the uphill task, Van Gisbergen draws some encouragement from his progress on ovals, such as at Richmond, where he recorded a career-best 14th. He understands that Bristol presents its own unique challenges, including frequent wrecks and fast-paced action, but believes valuable experience gained here will help him improve.
This place is not like anything else in the world I’ve ever done. So, yeah, just every time I come here, I get better and better, and I just need more experience here.
Reflecting on the Season and Lessons Learned
If Van Gisbergen does not advance beyond Bristol, he remains positive about how far he’s come in his rookie Cup campaign. He credits the team’s steady improvements on ovals and their strong pace in qualifying as signs of growth.
I think it’s been awesome, it’s been a lot of fun,
Van Gisbergen remarked.
Getting the wins has obviously been amazing. Never thought we’d get that many wins, but on ovals, it started very poorly, but I think how we’ve improved and now we’re in the mix most qualifyings and our pace has improved quite a lot.
I think we can be proud of that and I think we’re still getting better most weeks too. So yeah, pretty happy with how it’s ended up.
Learning from Mistakes to Build Momentum
Van Gisbergen openly acknowledged his own errors at Gateway that prevented a better finish. Despite the potential to perform strongly on an oval race, a few mistakes cost him valuable points, which he accepts fully.
I didn’t do very well last week,
he said.
I had potential to do well, but yeah, made a couple of errors myself and just put ourselves in bad spots and made a mistake when we should have got stage points and we didn’t.
So, last week (there was) only myself to blame. So, (I) beat myself up for a couple days and reset, try again tomorrow.
Potential Impact of Bristol Outcome on Van Gisbergen’s Season
Saturday’s Bristol race represents a defining moment in Van Gisbergen’s NASCAR Cup season, as he chases a must-win to move into the next playoff round. Although the situation is daunting, his steady attitude, dominance on road courses, and gradual progress on ovals provide hope. Whether he secures the victory needed or faces elimination, the experience gained will be invaluable for his future seasons.
Van Gisbergen’s performance at Bristol will reveal if he can overcome the track’s difficulties and secure a playoff berth. His ability to adapt and continue improving on challenging oval tracks will be key to his long-term success in NASCAR’s top tier.
