Shane van Gisbergen signs developmental deal with Trackhouse Racing
Trackhouse Racing announced Wednesday it has signed Supercars Championship driver Shane van Gisbergen to a developmental deal.
According to Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, van Gisbergen will run “in select races in NASCAR’s Cup, Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series plus some late model and other races” in 2024.
“Off to [America] next year,” van Gisbergen tweeted. “Huge opportunity for me and so thankful to @JustinMarksTH and the @TeamTrackhouse family for giving me a shot in NASCAR. Can’t wait to get over there.”
Shane van Gisbergen off to fast start in NASCAR Cup Series
van Gisbergen put himself in contention for a NASCAR Cup Series ride after racing his way to victory in his Cup Series debut behind the wheel of the No. 91 Chevy for Trackhouse Racing in the Grant Park 220 Chicago Street Race on July 2. He then picked up a P10 result in the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on Aug. 13.
The 34-year-old had been open of his desire to compete in NASCAR in 2024, looking for new opportunities outside of Australia.
“This announcement means so many things to me,” van Gisbergen said in a statement, via Motorsport. “I’m proud of what I have achieved here in Australia, but I’m excited by this new chapter in my career and the opportunities that it brings. I’m so thankful to everyone who has played a role in my career so far, especially Triple Eight Race Engineering, and looking forward to finishing our year with a few more highlights!
“It is time for a new challenge and this adventure into NASCAR will be the biggest challenge of my career and one I’m really looking forward to. I want to thank Justin Marks [Trackhouse founder and owner] and everyone at Trackhouse Racing who have taken a chance on me and given me this opportunity. I’m excited to get to America and getting the season started.”
Shane van Gisbergen ready for new challenge in NASCAR
Trackhouse Racing currently fields two full-time cars in the Cup Series — Ross Chastain in the No. 1 and Daniel Suárez in the No. 99. They do not, however, have any teams in the Xfinity or Crafstman Truck series’.
“This is going to be a tremendous challenge for Shane but he is a tremendous driver as we have all seen,” Marks said. “Next year will be about getting him acclimated to oval track racing, superspeedways, 1.5-mile tracks and everything he has never experienced in his career. It’s obviously going to be a learning process, but we think Shane will perform quite well.”