NASCAR holds the first of ten Playoff races with the Southern 500 Sunday evening at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The race marks the first steps for Trackhouse Racing drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain as they attempt to win their first NASCAR Cup Series title. Fourteen other drivers have the same goal. Van Gisbergen enters this weekend’s race sixth in the Playoff Standings, 16 points above the cutoff line.
“Darlington is one of my favorite ovals, but the next three races aren’t going to be easy,” commented SVG. “We are in a decent spot and have earned some nice playoff points, which is cool, but now we have to execute; no mistakes and get good results every week. That will help us achieve our goal.”
NASCAR will eliminate four of those 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 (Avondale, Ariz.) Raceway on Nov. 2.
Although Darlington is one of the most difficult tracks on the circuit, Van Gisbergen scored a respectable 20th-place finish at the South Carolina speedway in May.
“It’s just cool! You drive into the track and feel such a cool vibe, and everyone is happy to be there. But the challenge of the track, how slippery it is, how you have to run the wall and the dynamic of the racing, I always enjoy it.”
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