Van Gisbergen sheds light on future

Three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen has opened up on plans to shift to NASCAR from next season.

The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver’s future beyond 2023 has been a hot topic of discussion of late.

It comes after van Gisbergen — who won Sunday’s race in Sydney — shocked world motorsport when he won on his NASCAR Cup Series debut in Chicago.

The two-time Bathurst winner is under contract with Triple Eight in 2024, but boss Jamie Whincup has said he wouldn’t stand in the Kiwi's way if an opportunity presented itself.

After Sunday's race, when asked if NASCAR was his next full-time ambition, van Gisbergen replied with a “yes”.

However, the Kiwi revealed hesitation over a possible replacement.

“I don’t know if I’ll be full-time,” the 34-year-old said in the post-race press conference.

“There’s obviously a lot happening in the background, but I’m not leaving because of this team.

“I love this team and, when I leave, I want to make sure that there’s someone here to replace me that’s going to do a good job in the car.

“You don’t want to leave the team with nothing, and scrambling to find someone.

“A lot of the good drivers here are signed up, so, yeah, I want to leave with the team in a good spot.

“Hopefully the team has someone soon.”

Van Gisbergen’s next task is a second Cup Series start alongside Brodie Kostecki at Indianapolis on August 13.

Earlier this week, Whincup rated van Gisbergen a five out of 10 chance of staying in Supercars in 2024, but indicated he would like a call before the Indy race.

However, van Gisbergen said he didn't have a timeline on a decision.

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the OTR SuperSprint on August 18-20.