Shane van Gisbergen will make his first NASCAR Cup Series career start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday as the series holds the fourth of 10 Playoff races and the first of three second-round races. Van Gisbergen, who will drive the No. 88 Jockey Chevrolet, has one Xfinity Series start (2024) at the 1.058-mile track, where he started 18th and finished 28th, respectively, after a late race incident.
The Jockey Infinite Cool “see-through” car is a fan-favorite scheme that’s captured attention since its debut – Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez have taken their turns, and now Van Gisbergen gets his moment behind the wheel…in nothing but his Infinite Cool underwear. The Jockey Chevrolet will turn heads on track, putting SVG and Jockey front and center on race day.
Last weekend the Kiwi survived a chaotic race and was credited with a 26th-place finish after two spins. He finished 18 points shy of advancing to the next round and was eliminated (along with Alex Bowman, Josh Berry and Austin Dillon) from playoff contention on Saturday.
“I knew it was going to be a long shot last weekend at (Bristol), but I’m still proud of what we have achieved this year,” said SVG. “It’s been a huge privilege to be in the Playoffs but everyone knew the first round was going to be difficult. I just didn’t do a good enough job on the ovals. I know we’re strong on the road courses, but I just need to keep improving at the ovals.
“Thanks to Jockey for joining me in my first Cup Series start at New Hampshire. We will all have some fun with it and share the moment together.”
Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain enters the 300-lap event 11th of 12 drivers in the playoffs, just two points below the cutoff. To advance to the third round, he’ll need to be above the cutline after the New Hampshire, Kansas Speedway and Charlotte (Roval) races.
NASCAR will eliminate four drivers from the playoffs every three races until the final four drivers will battle for the championship in a winner-take-all race at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., on Nov. 2.
Teammates Shane van Gisbergen and Daniel Suárez aren’t worried about playoff implications as they race to bring home “Loudon,” the 25-pound live lobster from the area awarded to the race winner.
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