SVG Admits Harsh Playoff Truth With Bold Confession as Elimination Fear Grows

“I just have a hard time seeing him (Shane van Gisbergen) escape the Round of 16,” said NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., casting doubt on Shane van Gisbergen’s playoff chances. Despiteful wins earlier this season, all on road courses, his struggles on ovals have left him with only 15 points from elimination. As SVG heads into the final race of the Round of 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway, the pressure is definitely mounting. Can the Kiwi speedster deliver a flawless performance? Hear from the driver himself.

The Trackhouse rookie sensation, fresh off a whirlwind debut season with 5 Top-10s and 4 Top-5s, now faces the kind of pressure that could make seasoned veterans sweat: survive Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race or pack up for the offseason. And when asked about his thoughts on his playoff season so far, the No. 88 driver didn’t hold back. He told Frontstretch, “No, not really. I didn’t, uh, didn’t do very well last week. I had potential to do well, but yeah, made a couple of errors myself and just put ourselves in bad spots, you know, and made a mistake when we should have got stage points and we didn’t. So, uh, last week only myself to blame. So, beat myself up for a couple days and reset, try again tomorrow.”

And it has indeed been a struggle. At Darlington Raceway, the Kiwi faced a challenging race and finished 32nd. His team could not really handle his car, and the late-race strategy gamble didn’t pay off because of an untimely caution. Trackhouse opted for a one-stop strategy in Stage 3 of the Southern 500 that saw the 36-year-old pit from 20th and rejoin two laps down with just over 60 laps to go.

Unfortunately, a subsequent caution worked against that plan and, although receiving one lap back under the Lucky Dog rule, he ultimately finished two laps adrift. To top that, the three-time Australian V8 Supercar champion narrowly avoided a wreck on the opening lap when fellow Playoff contender Josh Berry crashed out of third place at Turn 2.

Following Darlington, the series moved to Gateway. Unfortunately, the challenges continued, and SVG finished 25th, a result that has placed the No. 88 team just two places over the elimination line, making their move to the Round of 12 in the playoffs almost questionable. However, SVG brushes it all off and looks forward to Bristol.

He added, ” Pretty level at the moment, we know it’s not going to be easy, just haven’t been good enough the last couple weeks. Just knowing I’ve got a good team around me. The car looks really good, and the prep’s been rolling good. I know as a team we can be really competitive here. The weakness is me, but I’ve done everything I can this week to try and be the strength.”

But if anything, even his Bristol race has drawn concerns from the insiders because of his 38th-place finish back in April, where he started the race from 36th place. Van Gisbergen caused the first natural Full Course Caution after the Stage 1 break. During Stage 2 on Lap 177, he tried to pass Cody Ware, but his Chevy got loose and slid up into the side of the #51 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang. As a result, both cars were sent spinning, and the yellow was drawn.

Ware was able to continue, but van Gisbergen suffered steering damage to his car that meant he had to go behind the pit wall for repairs. Though he did return to the race with more than 70 laps down, he continued to struggle with his car and debated whether to retire the car. Again, he brought the car back to the pit lane on his 199th lap for further repairs. After a change of the steering rack that cost him 100 laps, he returned to the race but complained of a loose car, suspecting something was still broken. And that summed up Bristol for him.

Coming into this weekend now, SVG is set to start the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway from 28th place. The result came after he started with the 29th fastest time in the 25-minute practice session held on Friday afternoon. This race is crucial for SVG, and starting from a position like that will require a strong performance to overcome the deficit and secure a spot in the next playoff round.

However, that fear is also heightened by SVG’s run at WWTR last week. Trackhouse Racing’s SVG and Ross Chastain drew NASCAR’s attention for driving through the infield grass on the cooldown lap. While no penalties were issued immediately, the move raised concerns under post-race inspections, as it could be seen as an attempt to alter car weight before inspection. NASCAR has warned all teams to avoid repeating such actions; signing the future in fractions could result in serious consequences, including disqualification.

However, amid all this, SVG’s teammate has shrugged it off and is now focused on a breakthrough in the Bristol race.

Ross Chastain eyes a breakthrough at Bristol Motor Speedway

Ross Chastain arrives at Bristol Motor Speedway with high stakes in the playoffs, entering Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race 13th and just a single race away from potentially advancing to the next round. Currently 11th among 16 playoff drivers, Chastain holds a 19-point cushion over the cutline. While his position appears comfortable, Bristol’s unpredictable nature looms large; he has finished 20th or worse in half of his 10 starts at the high-bank short track, making this weekend crucial for both himself and the team.

The Charlotte Coca-Cola 600 victory earlier this season and a string of top 11 finishes in his last six races have kept Chastain in strong contention. Still, Bristol’s unique challenges remain a recurring test. Reflecting on the track, the 32-year-old acknowledges the fine margin for error: “I think it puts us in a spot where we are fast enough to stay above the cut line, but a failure or an error, it’s easy to hit the wall here. They’ve painted them (the walls) back to their old all-black. They’re waiting on you if you make a mistake, so we’ve got 500 laps to get through.”

And encouragingly, recent press reports all show clear progress. Two of his three career top-10 finishes at the track came in his last two appearances, including a career-best sixth-place finish in the fall race of 2022. He added, “I love the track, and I love driving up here. We’ve taken the step to get to the top 10, and we want to keep that going and take the next one.”

Moreover, Chastain credits crew chief Phil Surgen for providing competitive cars and remains optimistic about breaking through.  And with his pent-up anger fueling his playoff push, and points on the line and momentum building, Saturday’s race will be a defining moment for both of the Trackhouse Racing drivers’ playoff pushes.