Shane Van Gisbergen’s dominant run at The Glen seemed meant to be. But his crew chief at Trackhouse Racing has now revealed the real struggles it is facing, which is on ovals, something that the No. 97 team can’t seem to overcome.

Stephen Doran, in a post-race conference, openly admitted that they were struggling to find consistency despite SVG’s form.

“Yeah, it’s been rough,” Doran explained as he discussed the team’s form. “For the 97 specifically, we started fairly well. Five or six races were really good. And then the last three or four have been pretty rough for us.”

The initial races after Daytona saw SVG drastically show an improvement on ovals, as he had back-to-back good finishes at Atlanta (6th, his best ever) and Phoenix (11th).

Despite an unfortunate Vegas race, he still finished decently at Darlington (14th) and Martinsville (11th). However, The next three races were 20th or worse, a decline in his performance.

What is even more interesting is that these comments were offered just as the team, during its difficult times before the weekend, managed to unlock furious pace on the final green-flag cycle, overcoming a 30-second deficit and granting SVG his chalice.

Doran also admitted how much the performance meant to them. “It’s a great boost for the organization,” he said. However, he did soon highlight an additional issue: “I think, as I said, Texas was a step in the right direction at the ovals, but we still have a long way to go.”

Yet his concluding words did bring some hope for the fans as Doran added, “There’s a lot of work happening to get there, and I feel like we can.”

Despite SVG’s dominance, Trackhouse seems to be going through a rough patch. What happens ahead remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: SVG’s dominance, independent of his team, is continuing to be unchallenged, making us wonder, can he sit among the all-time greats?

Mike Joy’s GOAT claim leaves SVG reflective as title rivals continue chasing

Even after delivering exceptionally at The Glen in a fashion unknown to most road-course racers within NASCAR, SVG continued to stay focused on his future rather than be distracted by the “greatest of all time” conversations surrounding him.

When asked about his views on being labeled as “a contender for the best road racer of all time” by veteran broadcaster Mike Joy, van Gisbergen gave a remarkably calm response.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s special for people to be saying stuff like that, but I live in the moment, and it’s probably something I need to think about when I stop racing, but you just got to keep adding to it,” SVG explained.

He further added, “It’s been amazing to be able to keep winning races here and show that we can do it. But yeah, words like that, I probably think about when I retire.”

These comments showcase his humility, even more so when you look at the long list of legends he defeated despite being half a minute behind, contenders such as Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, Michael McDowell, and Chase Briscoe.

Showcasing truly what his words meant: that both for him and his struggling team, the best wasn’t behind him, but rather in the years ahead.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Uday Jakhar

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason