(photo credit Leon Hammack)

While this is Shane Van Gisbergen’s first NASCAR Cup Series Playoff appearance, the 2025 Rookie of the Year candidate is certainly used to Playoff pressure.

He qualified for the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and won three championships in the Australian Supercars Series (2019, 2021 and 2022) before arriving in the U.S. to compete full-time in stock cars.

The Trackhouse Racing driver’s four wins are tied with veteran Denny Hamlin for most in the series this year. He goes into the Playoffs ranked sixth among the 16 drivers, with a 16-point edge above the current elimination line entering the first three-race Playoff round.

The pressure of a championship run is not new to Van Gisbergen. But this year’s push to a trophy in NASCAR’s premier series is.

“It’s confusing,” Van Gisbergen said of the Playoff format. “But the better you do, it just looks after itself, so I try not to get all caught up in ‘how many points’ and stuff like that. I know if I just do my best, it will all look after itself.

“I remember last year (in the Xfinity Series) the way it was approached was different than the way of the rest of the season, and we got caught up in the moment a little bit too much. Like we did a silly strategy at the (Charlotte) ROVAL, an unexplained mistake, really.

“This year has been good just staying level-headed and taking it week-by-week. We’re in an amazing spot to be here, and we have no expectation to make it through the second round, right? No one knows what we can do. If we go and perform, we can surprise some people, right?”

On possibly being under-estimated in his Playoff debut, Van Gisbergen smiled, “Doesn’t worry us and puts no pressure on us…. Hopefully, be nice to prove some people wrong.”

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!