NASCAR-bound Shane van Gisbergen had been ‘secretly hoping’ that fellow Kiwi Richie Stanaway would replace him at Red Bull Ampol Racing in 2024.
Van Gisbergen made the admission after teaming with the enigmatic driver to win the Bathurst 1000, becoming the first all-Kiwi pair to do so since Greg Murphy and Steven Richards in 1999.
It’s likely to be van Gisbergen’s last Bathurst for some time as he prepares to embark on a new career in the United States.
Stanaway’s Supercars career, though, is newly reborn, having joined Triple Eight as a co-driver this season after a Bathurst wildcard 12 months ago ended a three-year hiatus.
The former GP2 race winner was overlooked by Triple Eight for a full-time drive next season in favour of Will Brown.
Stanaway was subsequently snapped up by Grove Racing for 2024, and will now head to the team as a Bathurst winner.
“To get him back in the sport and seeing how he is this year, his mentality and drive, focus, determination on and off the track, it’s been really cool to work with him,” said SVG of Stanaway.
“In some ways I wish he was replacing me in that car. I know they’ve got a capable driver replacing (me), but I was secretly hoping Richie would get the drive.
“But he’s in a good team. Groves has got some great people and I’m sure he’ll do well next year if that environment is what it looks like.”
Mid-year van Gisbergen said that his ability to commit to a US move depended on Triple Eight finding a suitable successor to him.
Asked about his actual role in deciding his replacement, van Gisbergen added: “I didn’t have too much input, to be honest.
“But at that point in time, I just wanted to make sure, before I committed to the USA, that they were happy with what they had.
“Richie was obviously on the shortlist, but Jamie (Whincup) didn’t involve me too much with the main discussions about it.”
Van Gisbergen has signed a 2024 development deal with NASCAR team Trackhouse Racing that will see him race in all three tiers of NASCAR, and possibly more.
Next year’s NASCAR Cup Series calendar includes two Cup Series road course events that will almost certainly clash with the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.
As revealed by V8 Sleuth on Saturday, Triple Eight is already understood to have signed Team 18 refugee Scott Pye as a co-driver for 2024.
“I’ve said to Triple Eight I will do the enduros with them if it allows, but I want to be a Cup Series driver,” said van Gisbergen.
“Next year I’m going to fully immerse myself in NASCAR and Xfinity, Truck, some Cup stuff.
“I don’t know what my schedule is. If it allows, I’ll come back here, but I want to be in the Cup Series, so I’m doing everything I can to get there.”
