Shane van Gisbergen looks forward to more battles with 'tough, little racer' Ty Gibbs

Shane van Gisbergen has taken the Xfinity Series by storm, and it’s rubbed some racers the wrong way, like Austin Hill. However, the New Zealander has a ton of respect for many other drivers in NASCAR, especially Ty Gibbs.

The man affectionately known as SVG has raced against Gibbs in both the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series, and it was evident the Joe Gibbs Racing wheelman gained van Gisbergen’s attention during last weekend’s race at Sonoma.

While Gibbs dealt with some trouble throughout the race that led to him not competing against van Gisbergen for the win, the New Zealander recognized Gibbs’ talent, and he’s excited to continue racing against him moving forward.

“He was fast,” van Gisbergen said about Gibbs’ performance at Sonoma, via the latest episode of Stacking Pennies. “For him, I guess, you’re switching between cars, you’re never going to optimize one. I could see on SMT, all those sectors, he was really quick, he just would make mistakes. So you could tell he was almost as fast as us. And then yeah, the race started, and to stay that close in the wake of the other car, you know, everything’s hot. I was saving a little bit, but not that much, and he was right there the whole time. So I knew he was going to be strong.

“It’s a shame he had a bad pit stop, and then the crash, because that would’ve been a pretty cool battle. Because every time I’ve raced against him, it’s been really good. He’s a good, tough, little racer. So it would’ve been cool to battle that out.”

Alas, that’s a huge compliment from someone as well-traveled as van Gisbergen has been throughout his career. One of the major knocks on Gibbs throughout his career has been that he was given everything in his career through his family connections, but it’s evident he’s turning heads.

In addition to his success and past championship in the Xfinity Series, Gibbs seems on the verge of breaking through in the Cup Series. After narrowly missing the playoffs in 2023, he’s contended for multiple wins in 2024, although he hasn’t been able to secure one, for one reason or another.

When Ty Gibbs does break through and get to victory lane, perhaps then he’ll receive the proper respect that many in the Xfinity Series, like Shane van Gisbergen, have been giving him. However, it’s up to the No. 54 wheelman to go out and take it, and maybe he’ll start this weekend at Iowa Speedway.