CONCORD, N.C. — The NASCAR Cup Series' newest first-time winner will try and make it two for two when he returns to race at Indianapolis next month.
Trackhouse Racing announced on Wednesday that Shane van Gisbergen will make his second start for the team in the Aug. 13 race at the Indy Road Course. Van Gisbergen won his first NASCAR Cup Series start on July 2 at the Chicago Street Course.
Van Gisbergen will compete in the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse's Project91 program. The project rolled out in 2022 for drivers from various racing series to come to try their hand at stock car racing on NASCAR road courses.
At Chicago, van Gisbergen ran in the top five for most of the race and climbed from outside the top 10 to the lead in the closing laps after varying strategies put him in the middle of the pack. As soon as he grabbed the lead, he was clearly the top competitor of the day. Van Gisbergen became just the seventh driver in Cup Series history to win in their series debut and the first to do it since 1963.
“After a performance like that it’s only natural to want to keep this going,” Justin Marks, Trackhouse Racing owner, said. “Shane showed he is a world-class talent and what he did in Chicago was truly remarkable."
Australian racing fans were already well-familiar with van Gisbergen before his triumph in Chicago. The 34-year-old has won the Supercars Championship title three times and has captured 63 wins in the series.
Darian Grubb will serve as van Gisbergen's crew chief.
Trackhouse Racing will look for big performances from van Gisbergen as well as their two regular drivers on the circuit, Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez, who both have won on road courses in the past.
Van Gisbergen will not be the only Supercars driver making a NASCAR start at Indy. Brodie Kostecki will make a start for Richard Childress Racing, the team announced earlier this week. Kostecki has yet to win in the Supercars Championship but has four podiums and is currently ranked in the top 10 in points for this season.
Other international drivers making starts at Indy include Kamui Kobayashi, a Japanese driver who competes in the FIA endurance series, and Jenson Button, a former Formula One champion.