1 week Ago By Neha Dwivedi
Last season, Harrison Burton’s surprise victory at Daytona during the closing stretch of the regular season created controversy across the NASCAR community.At the time, Burton was languishing in the 30s on the points table, yet his win automatically vaulted him into playoff contention. The outcome didn’t sit well with fans or with drivers.
The likes of Bubba Wallace, who had performed better all year, missed the cut despite stronger overall results as a result of Burton’s win.Fast forward to 2025, and a similar scenario might be looming with Shane van Gisbergen in the conversation.When Denny Hamlin was asked whether he’d be bothered if the Trackhouse Racing driver were to bag a win at a road course and fix a playoff berth while sitting in the 30s in points, his answer offered food for thought.
Speaking on an episode of his podcast Actions Detrimental, Hamlin responded, “Road-course racing is more part of our schedule now. So I don’t think I’d have a issue with it. I think the fans, more than likely, when and if it happens and Shane is in the 30s in points, they’ll probably have something to say about it.
”Hamlin remarked, “But it’s that’s what he was built to do – is come over here and win some road course races and then be somewhat competitive as he could on the ovals. And so you got to go through 31 or 32 races of pain to get to the five or six that you really got a shot at it.”He referenced Shane van Gisbergen’s background in the Australian Supercars Series, which exclusively races on road courses.
When SVG stormed onto the NASCAR scene with a win at the Chicago Street Race, it was clear such tracks were the Kiwi’s natural habitat.SVG further put his point across during his first full-time season in the Xfinity Series last year, as he was still learning the ropes on ovals; all three of his victories came on road courses. He ultimately closed out the year 12th in the standings.
That said, SVG showed flashes of promise beyond just turning left and right. He delivered a few good oval results as well, finishing third at Atlanta, fourth at Indianapolis, and sixth at Phoenix last year. Slowly but surely, he’s beginning to round out his repertoire.
Hamlin reasons why SVG has been having lackluster performances in the Cup SeriesIn his first full-time Cup Series campaign, Shane van Gisbergen has found the going tough. Aside from a sixth-place finish at COTA — a road course — his only other finish inside the top 20 came at Darlington.Understandably, he may be biding his time until the schedule turns in his favor, with more road course events on the horizon, while continuing to wrestle with the schedule’s challenges.
Hamlin, though somewhat surprised at the extent of SVG’s struggles, didn’t mince words when explaining why. “It’s hard!” he admitted. “Running in the Cup series is hard, the competition’s hard,” the JGR driver pointed out.
He opined that Gisbergen is having to unlearn much of what he knew and start from scratch, trying to master a new discipline in real-time. And Hamlin noted that it’s not easy asking someone to suddenly change their way of racing.The real challenge, he added, lies in the fact that oval racing isn’t in SVG’s wheelhouse.
Hamlin shared his views, stating that the Trackhouse Racing team is throwing him into the deep end, hoping he can snag a win in Xfinity or on a road course, punch a playoff ticket, and boost their charter value.With the Mexico road course looming on the schedule, there’s every reason to believe SVG is eagerly counting down the days.The post Denny Hamlin Reveals Stance Over Potential Controversy In Case Shane van Gisbergen Goes the Harrison Burton Way appeared first on The SportsRush.
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