NASCAR Hall of Fame unveils new Chicago Street Race exhibit with Shane van Gisbergen
How many Xfinity Series rookies can say they have an exhibit in the NASCAR Hall of Fame? Well, at least one, Shane van Gisbergen. As winner of the first-ever Chicago Street Race, SVG has his own exhibit now.
This is more about the inaugural Chicago Street Race than Shane van Gisbergen. However, as the winner, he is forever a part of the historic race. The three-time Supercars champion came to America and in his Cup Series debut won on the streets of Chicago.
It was a storybook ending for SVG on his debut. It allowed him to kickstart his NASCAR career, move to the United States, and join Trackhouse Racing as a development driver. Now, he’s in the midst of a Rookie of the Year and Xfinity Series championship battle.
As part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame exhibit, Shane van Gisbergen’s firesuit, shoes, trophy, and more are included.
The entire weekend was one to remember. Not just for Shane van Gisbergen and his incredible run, but everything else about the event. Both races got shortened due to weather. Chicago received a record amount of rain in just a couple of days. Pretty much everything but the races were canceled.
Still, the Cup Series race entertained. It left people speechless. Watching someone who had never raced in NASCAR, let alone on the left side of the car and on a brand-new race track in the city streets of Chicago, was amazing. SVG became an overnight star in America.
Now, that weekend and that big win can be taken in by fans at the Hall of Fame. Trackhouse now has two displays in the Hall of Fame, this one and the Hail Melon car of Ross Chastain.
Shane van Gisbergen off to strong start despite disappointing COTA weekend
The 2024 season has been off to a good start for Shane van Gisbergen. He survived his run at Daytona in the Xfinity Series, finishing P12. He was P3 at Atlanta in just his second oval race ever in the Xfinity car. Then he was P6 at Phoenix.
COTA, the first road course weekend of the season, was not as great. To be honest, it might be SVG’s first proper welcome to what NASCAR can be – unpredictable. In the Xfinity Series, SVG was strong. He ran up front with Kaulig Racing teammate AJ Allmendinger for the entire race.
Due to a bump and run from Austin Hill and a course-limits penalty on the final lap, van Gisbergen finished P27 in that race. He was P2 until that penalty knocked him back 30 seconds. In the Cup Series, another strong start brought to an end after he lost first gear. P20 on the day for his efforts there.
Despite what many thought, myself included, it is going to be harder for Shane van Gisbergen to dominate road courses. NASCAR is hard, rough and tumble racing. One mechanical issue, or one overtime restart, can take all of your hard work and throw it out the door. We will have to wait until Portland to see him take right turns again.