NASCAR star Shane van Gisbergen has admitted that he will be hit hard by the sport's decision to revert back to a Chase-style postseason format.
The Australian driver was the Cup Series' rookie of the year in 2025 after taking five race wins, all on road courses, but struggled early on ovals after a career in the Supercars series down under.
The win-and-in format of the last decade was part of what brought SVG over, as it near-guaranteed him and his team a spot in the playoffs – something which is now far from certain.
However, some numbers have been crunched and with the additional points boost given to race winners from this year onward, it's believed that the Trackhouse Racing star would have just sneaked into the postseason based on 2025 results.
SVG admits Chase trouble
Speaking ahead of the new season, he admitted: “I think it kind of needed a change, but it’s hard for me. The reason I’m in the series is because of winning, right? But I feel like I’ve gotten better at ovals to where I don’t have to rely on it.”
He continued: “Certainly going to be an achievement to make that top 16. But I think it’s a good target for us, and something that is achievable.
“I think it rewards those top guys now that are always winning, and they were the guys calling for it. For me, that’s more of a pure racing championship, so probably a good thing in there.
“I think I read that we would have been near the top 16 or right in there, and we were 35th or 58th or something in points halfway through the year. We had a really bad start to the year and still made it, so maybe we can do the same this year.”
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