Shane van Gisbergen was immediately on the pace at Daytona International Speedway, setting the 13th-fastest time of the 49 competitors who took to the track in the ARCA Menards Series’ opening practice this afternoon.
Van Gisbergen’s best time of 49.512 produced an average speed of 181.774mph (292.53kmh), placing him 0.912 seconds off the pace of session-topping Marco Andretti.
He completed a trouble-free ten laps in his first official Super Speedway outing.
Only 40 of the 49-strong field will qualify for Sunday morning’s race, with the fastest 34 qualifiers automatically securing berths. The remaining six spots will be split based on 2023 results and any previous champions who fail to qualify.
The Kiwi three-time Supercars champion is competing for Pinnacle Racing Group for the race, with his participation required for licensing requirements ahead of his Xfinity Series debut.
He will return to the track in the #28 entry for qualifying at 7.30 am on Saturday (NZ Time).
A busy stretch on Sunday morning sees van Gisbergen first head out for Xfinity Series qualifying at 5.30 am before the 80-lap ARCA Menards Series race at 7.30 am. He’ll return to the circuit just hours after that, competing in his first Xfinity Series race in the #97 Chevrolet.
Good luck Shane