Shane van Gisbergen made quite the impression at the Chicago Street Race earlier this month, because Trackhouse Racing is bringing him back to compete at Indianapolis next month.
van Gisbergen, who on July 2 became the first driver in 60 years to win in his NASCAR Cup Series debut when he won the weather-plagued street race in downtown Chicago, will race at the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on Aug. 13. That race will be run on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course.
The announcement came on Trackhouse’s Project91 Twitter feed, with a video supposedly showing text messages with van Gisbergen agreeing to the race. Project91 is a program designed by Trackhouse to expand its international appeal by adding renowned international drivers for certain races in the No. 91 car.
Trackhouse currently sports two full-time cars in the Cup Series, driven by 2022 Cup runner-up Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez, the first Mexican-born driver to ever win a Cup race. Trackhouse is co-owned by Justin Marks and recording star Pitbull.
“I never dreamed this could have all rolled out this way,” van Gisbergen, a 34-year-old New Zealand native, said in a statement from the team. “Just getting to race in NASCAR is an opportunity I never thought I would get, but then to win and get another chance this year is beyond anything I imagined. I can’t thank Justin Marks, everyone at Trackhouse Racing and NASCAR for this opportunity.”
Added Marks: “After a performance like (the Chicago win), it’s only natural to want to keep this going. Shane showed he is a world-class talent and what he did in Chicago was truly remarkable. PROJECT91, Trackhouse Racing and the fans of NASCAR benefit by bringing him back. I don’t think I am being overly dramatic when I say the entire motorsports world will be watching the No. 91 Chevrolet at Indianapolis.”