After conquering Australia, Kiwi Supercars maestro Shane van Gisbergen is considering a United States cameo, eyeing a temporary stint with NASCAR.
Van Gisbergen, 33, is the reigning Supercars champion and leads the 2022 standings by a huge 525 points, nearing the end of the season.
But like compatriot Scott McLaughlin, who traded Supercars for the American IndyCar series last year, van Gisbergen is eyeing the US and has confirmed to Channel Nine he's looking at NASCAR in 2023.
Van Gisbergen wouldn't switch full-time, but is exploring the prospect of a cameo for TrackHouse Racing, depending on a gap in the Supercars calendar.
"Our calendar comes out so late these days, so I just need to wait and see what our calendar does," he told Channel Nine. "But yeah, I would love to do it.
"We did speak, but it's all dependent on our calendar and what races I can do, and if there's time to get over there and back without upsetting Supercars."
Exploring opportunities during gaps in the Supercars calendar is nothing new for van Gisbergen, who has proven to be one of the most adaptable drivers on the planet. He won Formula Ford in 2006 and finished runner-up in the Toyota Racing Series in 2007, both in single-seaters.
He took the chequered flag at the 2021 NZ Grand Prix, after starting from pitlane, and this weekend, he will contest a leg of the World Rally Championship, as it returns to local roads for the first time since 2012.
"It's massive, all the hype for this weekend and seeing how much interest there around the rally," van Gibsergen told Newshub. "I'm pretty excited.
"It's something I've always dreamed of doing. Just to take part in it is pretty awesome.
"You hear what everyone says about our roads, they're up there with the best in the world. All the drivers are really excited to get here.
"Rallying in New Zealand has taken off in the last couple of years, how competitive the national championship is.
"It's a massive sport here, hopefully it's a big turn out."
