Ryan Blaney perfectly explains why Shane van Gisbergen is driver to beat in NASCAR Chicago Street Race

Ryan Blaney watched as Shane van Gisbergen dominated in the Chicago Street Race in 2023, and he believes it’ll be awhile before anybody in the Cup Series can match his prowess.

Evidently, Blaney believes van Gisbergen’s right-foot braking technique is what separates the New Zealander from the pack in Chicago. It allowed him to drive away from the field last season, and it has him as the favorite entering 2024.

So, easy solution right? Blaney and the rest of the Cup Series should just copy what van Gisbergen is doing? Not so fast. The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion believes it’ll be quite some time before anyone is able to emulate van Gisbergen’s success.

“Ryan Blaney says Shane van Gisbergen remains the one to beat and it would take him ‘three to five years’ of right-foot braking to be able to match SVG’s techniques,” Blaney told Jeff Gluck of The Athletic.

Alas, Blaney’s hypothesis makes sense, as van Gisbergen didn’t master the technique overnight. It’s not something NASCAR wheelmen are asked to do week-in and week-out, if at all. It’s similar to van Gisbergen’s being a novice when it comes to the ovals in the Xfinity Series.

Perhaps Ryan Blaney and the rest of the Cup Series field will be able to hang with Shane van Gisbergen in 2024. As NASCAR returns to the Windy City, Blaney’s commentary confirms what the world already knows though — it’s the New Zealander’s race to lose.

Shane van Gisbergen on returning to Chicago: ‘Almost like a holiday’

When it comes to the Chicago Street Race, it may be the most comfortable that Shane van Gisbergen feels this entire NASCAR season. After all, it is the only track on the schedule that he has raced on before, and he walked away with a win.

Shane van Gisbergen is racing double duty this weekend, as he should. After winning the Cup Series race last season, SVG put himself on the map in the sport of NASCAR. Now he’s on his way to prove that he deserves a full-time ride in Cup.

It’s hard to pick anyone else besides van Gisbergen to win this weekend. That includes Xfinity and Cup. Maybe that’s why the Kiwi referred to this weekend as a “holiday.”

“It’s almost like a holiday, a road race weekend for me,” the driver said, via Jeff Gluck of The Athletic. “Just relax and have some fun.”

The New Zealander has broken onto the scene this year. He won back-to-back races in the Xfinity Series at Portland and Sonoma. There have been few drivers make an impression on NASCAR quite like SVG.

The confidence from van Gisbergen is warranted. He was excellent from practice to qualifying and the race last season. He outdueled Cup Series champions and strong road course racers to make history.

This year, he’s chasing history again. With two races on the docket, Shane van Gisbergen has a chance to sweep the weekend for the first time in his NASCAR career.