CHICAGO (AP) — Shane van Gisbergen prefers the countryside to a big city, so Chicago isn’t exactly his type of place.
Except for the Windy City streets. He likes those a lot.
Van Gisbergen is back in Chicago this weekend, the scene of his career-altering victory just over a year ago. The 35-year-old New Zealand native is entered in the Xfinity and Cup Series races on the downtown street course that remains a bit of an enigma for NASCAR drivers.
“It’s cool. It’s special to come back here,” he said Friday.
The last time van Gisbergen raced in Chicago, he was a largely unknown commodity — at least in the United States. A three-time champion in Australia’s Supercars, he came over for a Cup Series start as part of Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91.