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Full-time Xfinity, part-time Cup programs in 2024 for van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen will begin the NASCAR-focused stage of his career as a full-time Xfinity Series driver with Kaulig Racing in 2024, in addition to running select Cup Series events.

On Wednesday, Kaulig Racing and Trackhouse Racing announced a partnership to field New Zealand native van Gisbergen in the No. 97 Chevrolet. The three-time Supercars champion landed Monday in the United States to begin his transition to stock cars.

“After winning in Chicago, I could not stop thinking about racing full-time in NASCAR,” van Gisbergen said. “I am still stunned at how quickly this has all come together. I must thank the NASCAR industry and fans for embracing me and allowing me to chase this dream. I respect every driver who has put in the work to make it to the Cup Series, and I am ready to put in that same effort. I am anxious to get started.”

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Van Gisbergen made his NASCAR debut in July on the streets of Chicago for the inaugural Cup Series event. Driving the No. 91 PROJECT91 entry for Trackhouse Racing, van Gisbergen went toe-to-toe with the best the series has to offer and pulled off the victory. He returned a month later to run at the Indianapolis road course and finished 10th, which was the same weekend he made his oval debut in the Craftsman Truck Series, finishing 19th at Lucas Oil Raceway Park.

The six Cup Series races van Gisbergen will run in 2024 will be split between road courses, superspeedways and intermediates. He will start his campaign at Circuit of The Americas March 24, followed by Talladega Superspeedway (April 21), Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 26), a return to the Chicago street course (July 7), Watkins Glen (Sept. 15) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Oct. 20).

“We know Shane will be incredibly competitive at the road course events in both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, but we wanted to get him as much experience on NASCAR ovals as possible, so I am really excited about his 2024 schedule,” Trackhouse boss Justin Marks said. “Kaulig Racing has a history of winning in the Xfinity Series, and as a fellow Chevrolet team, we are so thankful Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice see the potential in Shane that we see. The anticipation for this season is palpable.”

In his Xfinity Series team, van Gisbergen will be able to lean on the experience of AJ Allmendinger, another star in a different style of racing who’s found a home in NASCAR. Nigel Kinrade/Motorsport Images

In the Xfinity Series, van Gisbergen will be a teammate to AJ Allmendinger and Josh Williams. Kaulig Racing won four Xfinity Series races last season. WeatherTech will be sponsor a majority of van Gisbergen’s effort in the Xfinity Series as well as his Cup Series races.

“We started our talks with Trackhouse about the possibility of putting SVG in a Xfinity car for a few races quite some time ago, and from there the talks evolved to discussions about how much it would cost to run a full season,” said Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing. “Once we knew we had an open seat for next season, it became the perfect scenario to put him in the car. We partner with Trackhouse’s pit crew department, and with their key support from Chevrolet, it made teaming up an easy decision.”

Story originally appeared on Racer