Don't tell Shane van Gisbergen that he is the undisputed favorite to win this weekend, as that "pisses me off a bit," he admitted in a Friday press conference.
"I feel like it disrespects my competition. I hold my competition to a really high level. So yeah, I feel like I've spent the last little while talking myself down because I know that there's 10 guys probably that can win on pure pace. In NASCAR, so much stuff can happen with strategies and stages, that there's even more guys who can win. So I don't think it's going to be easy, that's for sure.”
And while all eyes will still be on SVG this weekend, the Qualcomm Street Circuit at Naval Base Coronado is a true wildcard race where anything can happen. The new 3.4-mile street course is ******* py with ever-changing and uneven surfaces, abrupt shifts in elevation, and even a spot where cars are going airborne in the run down into a braking zone (between Turns 1 and 2).
SVG's Trackhouse Racing teammate (for the weekend) Kevin Magnussen called it one of the most 'extreme' race tracks he has ever raced on, and while Van Gisbergen did concede that it is a challenge, it's not the most difficult he has personally experienced.
"I've driven on some pretty average tracks," remarked Van Gisbergen. "Turn two is exactly like turn nine at Homebush with the ******* ps and the surface changes. So yeah, I've driven on some stinkers, so this track is pretty smooth in some spots compared to some.”
"I feel like it disrespects my competition. I hold my competition to a really high level. So yeah, I feel like I've spent the last little while talking myself down because I know that there's 10 guys probably that can win on pure pace. In NASCAR, so much stuff can happen with strategies and stages, that there's even more guys who can win. So I don't think it's going to be easy, that's for sure.”
And while all eyes will still be on SVG this weekend, the Qualcomm Street Circuit at Naval Base Coronado is a true wildcard race where anything can happen. The new 3.4-mile street course is ******* py with ever-changing and uneven surfaces, abrupt shifts in elevation, and even a spot where cars are going airborne in the run down into a braking zone (between Turns 1 and 2).
SVG's Trackhouse Racing teammate (for the weekend) Kevin Magnussen called it one of the most 'extreme' race tracks he has ever raced on, and while Van Gisbergen did concede that it is a challenge, it's not the most difficult he has personally experienced.
"I've driven on some pretty average tracks," remarked Van Gisbergen. "Turn two is exactly like turn nine at Homebush with the ******* ps and the surface changes. So yeah, I've driven on some stinkers, so this track is pretty smooth in some spots compared to some.”
3 months ago
