NASCAR makes Watkins Glen change as Shane van | Sports News

NASCAR street course King Shane van Gisbergen has weighed in on large observe restrict modifications at Watkins Glen as the Kiwi seems to attain back-to-back wins on the observe this weekend.

Van Gisbergen, 36, a two-time Supercars champion who began his transition to NASCAR in 2023, successful on his debut within the inaugural Chicago Street Race, gained at Watkins Glen final 12 months, one of his 5 Cup Series victories in 2025.

The win didn’t impression his place within the Cup Series playoffs, with the Trackhouse Racing star already reserving his place in final 12 months’s Championship eliminator in Mexico City earlier within the season. Van Gisbergen has since continued to improve his oval racing, scoring his best-ever oval end in 2026 at Atlanta.

However, forward of his return to Watkins Glen, the place he’s trying to secure a second consecutive victory, NASCAR has made large modifications to the observe. NASCAR has modified its observe limits, putting tire packs within the runoff space after Turn 1 and on the exit of the carousel. It comes after NASCAR made modifications earlier this season to restrict fuel-saving ways.

Van Gisbergen has now addressed NASCAR’s efforts to pressure drivers back onto the observe faster. “I think Turn 1 is a really good solution. I think what they’ve done with the tire packs there and having the gaps in the walls is.. I think that’s going to work,” he instructed Savage Ventures.

“The exit of the carousel is a bit of a worry. The angle that it comes back on, in my experience with those tire walls, they grab cars and spit them out. So, yeah, don’t like the look of that, but smarter people have come up with those things.”

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NASCAR modifications SVG’s life

SVG relocated his whole life to the U.S. to pursue his NASCAR journey. “I think the difference has been that I’m with the team full time this year and I’ve been able to develop a setup and fine-tune it to the way I want,” SVG mentioned.

“Last year I kind of just jumped in and got the Trackhouse car delivered to Kaulig and then the Kaulig guys would run it, whereas this year, I’m all involved in the setup, trying to learn every week, and I really feel like as a team we’ve been able to tailor the car to my needs.

“I feel we’ve gotten higher somewhat than the rest. I feel we flip up to the observe, we all know what our instruments are, our tuning instruments. I do know what I would like the car to really feel like. Like this Monday was a actually intense assembly attempting to improve on what we had final 12 months, and received right here yesterday and the car felt night time and day totally different. I feel it is simply us as a group getting higher.”

SVG has admitted that the move makes him incredibly homesick. Still, his father has made it to some of his races. “He got here to Chicago after which he got here two or thrice final 12 months,” said SVG about his dad attending races.

“But yeah, it has been fairly tough. He misplaced his spouse, my mom, after which his sister after which his mother a month or so in the past. It’s been a actually tough run for Dad. It’s exhausting to assist him when I’m on the opposite facet of the world. That’s most likely why I’m probably the most homesick.

“Then my sister has moved away as effectively, so he is type of by himself all of a sudden. I try to discuss to him day by day, and yeah, to have him right here, and like he was virtually in tears, too. It’s actually particular to share that, as a result of we’re a long manner from home.”