Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin have rather a lot in frequent: New Zealanders who parlayed a number of Supercars championships in Australia (typically battling one another) into U.S racing careers — SVG in NASCAR, and McLaughlin in IndyCar. However this weekend, their careers paths briefly overlap, because the duo develop into teammates on this 12 months’s Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona with Trackhouse Racing.Â
This weekend sees the duo — together with NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch and sports activities automotive driver Ben Keating — pushing No.91 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R within the GTD Professional class, in a three way partnership between Trackhouse Racing and TF Sport. And for the primary time, it is obtained these fellow Kiwis working collectively. Which wasn’t all the timeÂ
“It is utterly completely different from what we grew up doing — and been doing — the final ten years or one thing,” Van Gisbergen instructed Motorsport.com. “Since Scott and I left Supercars, it has been an superior relationship. While you’re racing for a championship, you are centered by yourself world. Although we had robust moments, we had been nonetheless associates and had a beer afterwards. However now it is utterly completely different — we’re working collectively, and it is a lot enjoyable to be driving collectively.”
Supercars race winner Scott McLaughlin (heart) and Shane van Gisbergen (left) throughout a 2020 race at The Bend
Picture by: Dirk Klynsmith / Motorsport Pictures
Each New Zealanders boast three Supercars championships: Van Gisbergen received all of it in 2016, 2021, and 2022, whereas McLaughlin took three consecutive titles between 2018 and 2020. (In two of these, SVG was the season runner-up.) As an IndyCar driver, McLaughlin received the opening spherical at St. Pete in his second full-time season. Final 12 months he lastly discovered Victory Lane on the ovals, and enters 2025 with seven profession wins.Â
“It is superb story, what he is achieved with the Supercar championships and now operating so properly in IndyCar,” mentioned Van Gisbergen. “He simply saved saying ‘I gotta come over right here, gotta come and have a crack.’ I am positively glad I did. It has been an superior profession change for me.”Â
Whereas McLaughlin’s IndyCar journey was fastidiously deliberate, SVG’s foray into NASCAR has been sudden and spectacular. He received a NASCAR Cup race in his debut in 2023 on the inaugural operating of the Chicago Avenue Course whereas driving Trackhouse’s experimental Undertaking 91 entry — the primary time in over 60 years {that a} driver received of their first Cup begin. After that, a plan quickly got here collectively to convey van Gisbergen stateside full-time. After his 2024 rookie season within the NASCAR Xfinity Sequence, the place he received three races and made the playoffs, van Gisbergen’s transferring as much as the Cup full-time with Trackhouse.Â
The #91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R being pushed by teammates Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen at this 12 months’s Rolex 24
Picture by: James Gilbert – Motorsport Pictures
And it is Trackhouse that introduced SVG and McLaughlin again collectively once more, getting into a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 into the GTD Professional class this weekend. Van Gisbergen has appeared ahead to this second: “We all the time wished to drive collectively.” And never for lack of attempting. Van Gisbergen tried to get McLaughlin as his co-driver at Bathurst, and nonetheless desires to enter the Bathurst 12-hour or Bathurst 1000 with him in the future.
Neither of them are rookies within the Rolex 24, however in contrast to Bathurst, they’re nonetheless trying to find their first victory within the prestigious enduro. After so a few years of taking wins from each other, it is an opportunity for the 2 New Zealanders to have fun collectively.
On this article
Nick DeGroot
NASCAR Cup
IMSA
Shane van Gisbergen
Scott McLaughlin
Trackhouse Racing Crew
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