Will Race Truck Friday and Cup Car Sunday in Indianapolis
Concord, North Carolina – Shane van Gisbergen, the three-time Supercar champion and winner of the July 2 inaugural Chicago Street Race in his lone NASCAR Cup Series start, will drive the No. 41 Worldwide Express Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) on Friday, Aug. 11.
The 200-lap truck race on IRP’s 0.686-mile track will be the 34-year-old Auckland, New Zealander’s first NASCAR oval experience and it kicks off a busy weekend for van Gisbergen in the Hoosier state. He will return to the Cup Series Sunday, Aug. 13 on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to drive the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the Trackhouse Racing team’s PROJECT91 program. Van Gisbergen’s Cup series sponsors, Enhance Health and Quad Lock will also carry associate positions on the No. 41 Chevrolet truck.
“The weekend will certainly be a challenge,” said van Gisbergen. “I’ve seen the trucks race on television and know it’s very competitive and that I’ll have a lot to learn on a short track at IRP. I’m used to doing doubleheaders in Supercars, but this will be a little bit different. I’m honored to join Niece Motorsports and thrilled at getting a chance to climb in a truck.”
Van Gisbergen is joining the successful Niece team whose 20-year-old driver Carson Hocevar became the first truck series driver to win three races this season when he won the Worldwide Express 250 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway on July 29. It marked the seventh win for Niece Motorsports.
“We are so excited and so honored to have Shane drive for us at IRP,” said Niece Motorsports General Manager Cody Efaw. “He’s a legend in Australia and New Zealand, but what he did at Chicago has everyone in America talking about his talent. We will help him experience oval racing and I am guessing we will learn a lot from him as well.”
What van Gisbergen did at the inaugural Chicago Street race on July 2 is one of the highlights of the 2023 NASCAR season. Following a pit stop under caution, which came after NASCAR shortened the race from 100 to 75 laps due to looming darkness, van Gisbergen restarted 18th in his No. 91 Chevrolet. He drove to the front and made an overtime pass on a damp track to seal the victory.
He became one of six foreign born drivers to win a Cup Series race and the first driver since Johnny Rutherford in 1963 to win his first Cup Series start. It was just the latest entry in a resume that includes Supercars Championships for Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2016, 2021 and 2022, plus 79 wins and 48 pole positions making him the fourth most successful driver in series history. He also won the Bathurst 1000 in 2020 and 2022.
IRP is a multipurpose auto racing facility that includes the 30,000-seat oval along with a 2.5-mile road course and a drag strip where the NHRA has held its US Nationals since 1961. The track is seven miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Van Gisbergen will practice and qualify Friday afternoon at IRP with FS1 televising the truck race at 9 p.m. EDT.
He will practice and qualify at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Saturday and NBC will televise Sunday’s race on the road course at 2:30 p.m. EDT.
About Niece Motorsports:
Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2023, Niece Motorsports enters its eighth season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.
Media Inquiries: media@niecemotorsports.com | www.niecemotorsports.com
About Worldwide Express:
The WWEX group of brands, which comprises Worldwide Express, Unishippers and GlobalTranz, offers full-service logistics expertise to more than 115,000 customers across the country. With access to industry-leading small package, truckload, less-than-truckload and managed transportation solutions, its customers benefit from enhanced visibility and value for their supply chains. The company is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage and largest non-retail UPS Authorized Reseller® in the U.S., with an annual systemwide revenue nearing $5 billion through a network of company-owned, franchise and agent locations. A highly selective carrier portfolio, proprietary technology, unique data assets and business intelligence capabilities provide clients with unmatched options and flexibility to meet their shipping needs. The WWEX Racing initiative was borne of a desire to address the complex but underserved logistic needs of the performance motorsports industry, using the unique combination of capabilities offered by the three brands’ combined 80+ years of insight. To learn more about the WWEX Racing program, visit www.wwexracing.com. For media inquiries, contact racing@wwex.com.
