Shane van Gisbergen to drive for Pinnacle in ARCA race at Daytona
Shane van Gisbergen officially has another ride for Daytona, but it won’t be for the race many were expecting.
No, the freshly-minted Trackhouse Racing wheelman won’t be racing in the Daytona 500. Instead, van Gisbergen is planning to cut his teeth in the ARCA Menards Series come time, riding with Pinnacle Racing Group at the event.
“Shane van Gisbergen will drive in the ARCA Menards Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway for Pinnacle Racing Group, Trackhouse Racing announced Jan. 2,” Kevin Rutherford of Frontstretch wrote. “Pinnacle fielded the No. 28 in its maiden ARCA season in 2023.
“The team mostly entered ARCA Menards Series East races with Luke Fenhaus, though it also expanded into the main series and the ARCA Menards Series West with others.”
Alas, a myriad of Cup Series drivers have raced in the ARCA Menards Series, and it’ll certainly bring some more eyes to the event having van Gisbergen in town. It’s a savvy move for both Trackhouse and Pinnacle as they look to get the driver some more experience.
Time will tell how van Gisbergen continues to adjust, but he’ll have plenty of supporters as he comes over to NASCAR full-time in 2024.
He’ll race full-time in the Xfinity Series first, but he will join the Cup Series for seven dates as well, including their return to Chicago, Trackhouse announced earlier this offseason.
In 2024, van Gisbergern will be in the field at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin on March 24, Talladega Superspeedway on April 21 and October 6, Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, the Chicago Street Race on July 7, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on Sept. 15 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 20.
More on Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing
When he agreed to do the Chicago race, we don’t think Shane van Gisbergen expected to win and propel himself into stardom. The facts show that race was one of the most viewed of the season and SVG was a big part of that.
In the footsteps of Marcus Ambrose, van Gisbergen is hoping to be a real championship contender. Based on how much NASCAR has turned to road and street racing, he has a real chance of making it happen.
Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Roval are in the playoffs now. While SVG isn’t a full-time Cup driver yet, if that remains the same, he could make his way to the Round of 8 with strong performances at those tracks.
Trackhouse Racing wants to bring the talent here. So, they went out and got it. Shane van Gisbergen is hoping to go full-time in 2025. If Trackhouse has room for him remains to be seen.
Charters aren’t cheap and they aren’t just sold every day. Even if Trackhosue can’t give him a ride, we’re sure someone else will.
On3’s Jonathan Howard contributed to this article.