The three-time Supercars champion shocked the racing world by winning the Chicago street race as a ring-in for Trackhouse Racing on Sunday – marking the first victory for a debutant in NASCAR’s modern era.
While there was an expectation that van Gisbergen would be competitive given his vast street circuit experience in Australia, a victory on debut was still thought to be unlikely.
However, he charged to a fairytale win after running down Chase Elliott and Justin Haley before surviving overtime in fading light.
Leading van Gisbergen’s victory was renowned crew chief Grubb, who has worked with the likes of Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards.
When asked post-race to compare working with van Gisbergen to those greats, Grubb said: “I’d just say the professionalism and everything else, he’s very similar to all t …