Triple Eight team principal Jamie Whincup says he wouldn’t prevent reigning champion Shane van Gisbergen from cutting ties with the Supercars before the end of his contract if he were offered a drive overseas.
Van Gisbergen signed a new “multiyear” deal with Triple Eight earlier this year, though he told Fox Sports in an interview in April that it locked him in for only one more season in the series.
In the same interview he said he was finding the politics of the Supercars more difficult than ever to deal with, and in recent seasons he’s been increasingly willing to try his hand at different racing categories between rounds.
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His latest venture was in the United States, where he became the first driver in 60 years to win a NASCAR race on debut, claiming victory in Chicago at the weekend.
Immediately after getting out of the car, Van Gisbergen had only praise for the category and said he hoped to compete full-time in the future.
“What an experience,” he said. “This was so cool. It’s what you dream of. Hopefully I can come and do more.
“The racing was really good. Everyone was respectful. It’s tough but a lot of fun.
“I’m doing one more year in Aus, then I’d love to come over here.”
Speaking to Fox Sports News, Whincup said he wouldn’t stand in the way of the reigning champion if he wanted to make a stateside switch.
“He’s only contractually bound to us for next year,” he said. “Of course I’m trying to run the business as well as a I possibly can and I need the best drivers, but if any driver, engineer, employee came to me and said, ‘Hey, my dream is to go to the other side of the world and do something else’, I’m not going to stand in their way.
“I want to open up opportunities for all my staff.
“No doubt we’re going to have some discussions in the next month or so and work out what he wants to do. He’s certainly got my praise whatever he wants to do, and we’re going to support him all the way.”
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Asked if he would be open to Van Gisbergen ending his contract early, Whincup said he wouldn’t obstruct his star from leaving.
“I certainly wouldn’t stand in his way, no.
“Of course there are contractual things we need to work through, but if someone really wants to go do something else, then I’m certainly not going to stand in his way, that’s for sure.”
Speaking before his Chicago debut, Van Gisbergen said the Supercars was no longer offering him much satisfaction.
“Supercars isn’t that fun at the moment,” he said. “I’m not really enjoying it as much and starting to think about other things and look around.
“But my motivation for Supercars is high. I’m still trying hard and pushing as hard as I can. It’s complicated.
“Certainly now I’ve started watching NASCAR more again this year. Opportunities come up, and it’s appealing.”
Van Gisbergen said NASCAR’s 36-round season spanning February to November appealed to him compared to the 12-round Supercars campaign scheduled for 2023.
“They’re doing more road courses, more variation, and seeing this week the routine — you go to a race, have a day off, then you spend the week debriefing and then focus on the next race and go travelling and do it all again.
“The routine of racing every weekend is pretty appealing.
“It’s past mid-year now and we have only done five races in Supercars, so that’s the appeal for me, just to go try it out and race every week.
“It would be pretty cool maybe, but let’s see how this week goes.”
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He also appeared to cast doubt on his commitment to the duration of his contract.
“I’m fully focused on Supercars for this year and next for sure, but if something comes up, I’ll definitely entertain it,” he added.
However, speaking at the post-race press conference, he emphasised that 2025 was his likely target date for a move out of Australia.
“I’m committed next year to Supercars,” he said. “I still love Supercars and hope it goes well there.
“But in 2025, who knows?”
Van Gisbergen was racing for Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91, which has been set up to give high-profile international stars seat time in the series.
Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen previously raced car 91 last year and again earlier this year.
The Kiwi forecast his strong weekend before the race, noting that the Gen3 Supercars regulations and Next Gen NASCAR rules have brought the two cars into closer alignment.
“The cars are so similar now,” he said. “Two seasons ago the cars were so foreign you couldn’t jump in there straight away; you’d have to have done a couple of years of Trucks or Xfinity like Marcos (Ambrose) did, up the ladder, whereas these cars are much more relevant for any driver through the world.
“You could jump in this series and you wouldn’t be fast in your first year, it would take some time, but it looks appealing.”
Though him predicting of needing some time to get up to speed appears modest in retrospect, Chicago was the first street race in the history of the American series. Which would have counterbalanced his lack of experience in the sport.
Road courses feature with increasing frequency on the calendar, but the vast majority of the schedule still takes place around ovals, where Van Gisbergen is less experienced — though he finished second at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2015.