Shane van Gisbergen reflects on first NASCAR Cup Series playoff experience after first-round elimination

In his rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series, the Playoffs didn’t exactly play out the way that Shane van Gisbergen would have hoped. The Trackhouse Racing driver won four races this season, but is out after the Round of 16.

Bristol Motor Speedway was not kind to Shane van Gisbergen. SVG had a tough go at the three playoff races. While his oval racing has improved, his luck caught up with him. P25 at Gateway was the best finish for the 88 team in the last three races. Not the way to make the Round of 12.

Had SVG been able to make the next round, the Charlotte Roval was waiting there for the taking. There was a legitimate path for him to make the Round of 8. But it wasn’t meant to be. The severe tire wear caught the team off guard, and they never recovered.

“Yeah, we just put ourselves in a bad spot early to capitalize on it, but yeah, you expect that carnage at the end,” Shane van Gisbergen said after the race, via Frontstretch. “People were doing nuts, desperate things, but yeah, unfortunately, I lost too much time early in the race.”

Shane van Gisbergen recaps ‘crazy’ Bristol race

The three-time Supercars champion has experienced severe tire wear before. However, he said this tire was different from anything he had raced on before. He didn’t quite figure out how to preserve his tires like he would in Supercars.

“It was pretty crazy, you would be feeling like you were good and then all of a sudden, you’d feel the cords starting to show up, and then you knew you only had three laps before you had to pit,” van Gisbergen continued. “It was pretty crazy.”

Despite being eliminated, you won’t catch Shane van Gisbergen sulking around. He knew that it was an uphill battle, especially at Bristol. So, he’s happy with what his team has accomplished this season.

“Yeah, I knew it was going to be a long shot today, but I’m still proud of what we’ve achieved this year,” SVG said. “It’s been a privilege to be in the playoffs, and everyone knew the first round was going to be difficult. I just didn’t do a good enough job. So, I need to keep getting better at the ovals, and you know, the road courses will keep working, but yeah, I need to keep on improving at this stuff.”