Before they return to their full-time racing duties in NASCAR and IndyCar this weekend, Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin took a break to enjoy some grassroots oval racing.
The pair were back at Charlotte Motor Speedway competing in the US Legend Car Pro Series, taking part in Rounds 5 and 6 of the Cook Out Summer Shootout Series as Team SSR for Joe Ryan Race Cars.
Round 5 – Tuesday, July 1 (NZT)
The evening kicked off with a short four-lap warm-up race, where McLaughlin crossed the line in 5th and Van Gisbergen followed in 7th. Qualifying saw the Kiwi duo land mid-pack, with Van Gisbergen in 14th and McLaughlin just two spots back in 16th. SVG later took to Twitter to cheekily stir the pot, poking fun at his teammate over a bit of Turn 1 rivalry with Bubba Wallace also in the fun after outqualifying both Kiwis.
As the main A-Feature race got underway under lights, McLaughlin made early progress, climbing to 12th while Van Gisbergen slipped back to 15th. McLaughlin held his ground through the middle stages, eventually moving up to 11th, while SVG found himself locked in a long battle to pass Sean McElearney.
With four laps remaining, a caution came out for a spin involving Ryan Zima and McElearney. That set off a chaotic finish, including a large multi-car crash on the restart that involved several front-runners and even caught out NASCAR Cup driver Bubba Wallace.
Both Kiwis managed to avoid the trouble, restarting inside the top 10. A final-lap drag race between them saw Van Gisbergen edge out McLaughlin by just 0.010 seconds to finish 8th, with McLaughlin in 9th.
Round 6 – Wednesday, July 2 (NZT)
The following night, the pair returned for Round 6. In qualifying, McLaughlin again had the edge, ending up 12th to Van Gisbergen’s 13th. Jensen Jorgensen took pole, ahead of Bollman, Wallace, and Harvick.
However, weather quickly became a factor. Rain delayed proceedings before a lightning hold was called during the Semi-Pro A-Feature. The rest of the night’s racing, including the Pro Legends A-Feature, was eventually called off.
Round 6 will now be completed next week, ahead of Round 7 on Wednesday, July 9 (NZT).
Despite only joining the series for fun, Van Gisbergen currently sits 9th in the standings with 326 points, just 49 points off the lead. Jake Bollman leads the standings by a single point over Keelan Harvick, with just eight points separating the top five.
McLaughlin is currently 18th on 242 points, steadily climbing the order as he fits in races around his IndyCar schedule.
Both drivers now shift focus to their respective main programs. Van Gisbergen heads to the streets of Chicago to defend his memorable NASCAR win from last year in the Xfinity Series and Inaugural Cup Series win from 2023, while McLaughlin takes on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as IndyCar’s season hits its stride.
Even with full calendars and packed weekends ahead, the chance to go racing, just for the fun of it, still has its place for these two Kiwi talents.
Header Image: Russell Ingall (Facebook)
