How would SVG fare in Cup?

The Nature Boy

The Nature Boy

NASCAR needs a driver's union
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It looks like the hype train for SVG is in full swing. Some are saying he could jump to Cup immediately and be a regular contender. Others are saying that he had an advantage because of his familiarity with street courses.

People on Reddit and Twitter are setting some lofty expectations. What do you say RF?

My prediction (and this may age like milk) is that he would come in and be a competitive driver on road courses immediately but likely struggle a bit elsewhere. Unlike other crossover acts like Tony Stewart (or even Sam Hornish and Danica), his oval racing resume is a bit thin.

It looks like he’d be skipping Xfinity (which Marcos Ambrose didn’t do) so he would have to build his oval racing resume in a Cup car, which is a TON of pressure for someone new to a discipline.

My personal opinion is that he’s a hell of a talent but he’s also falling victim to NASCAR fans setting lofty expectations based on a small sample size.
 
The Nature Boy said:
It looks like the hype train for SVG is in full swing. Some are saying he could jump to Cup immediately and be a regular contender. Others are saying that he had an advantage because of his familiarity with street courses.

People on Reddit and Twitter are setting some lofty expectations. What do you say RF?

My prediction (and this may age like milk) is that he would come in and be a competitive driver on road courses immediately but likely struggle a bit elsewhere. Unlike other crossover acts like Tony Stewart (or even Sam Hornish and Danica), his oval racing resume is a bit thin.

It looks like he’d be skipping Xfinity (which Marcos Ambrose didn’t do) so he would have to build his oval racing resume in a Cup car, which is a TON of pressure for someone new to a discipline.

My personal opinion is that he’s a hell of a talent but he’s also falling victim to NASCAR fans setting lofty expectations based on a small sample size.
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Is everyone really surprised he jumped in a car that is similar in many aspects to an Australian V8 Supercar at a V8 Supercar type of track (a type NASCAR has NEVER ran on) with a good team like Trackhouse and won?

People are reading too much into it. I think he'd do better than Ambrose because of the car, but he'd probably still struggle on ovals. At least at first.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Is everyone really surprised he jumped in a car that is similar in many aspects to an Australian V8 Supercar at a V8 Supercar type of track (a type NASCAR has NEVER ran on) with a good team like Trackhouse and won?
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I don’t know if Reddit screws younger than here (and I don’t want to create an account to ask) but you would think he was a hybrid of 1998 Jeff Gordon and 2000s Tony Stewart. He’s getting unreal levels of hype there.

I have seen too many guys come in with a lot of hype and either flame out entirely or never live up to the hype. Jamie McMurray won in his second start and while he didn’t have a bad career, he never lived up to the hype he got after that win.
 
The NASCAR schedule is a long one with multiple oval configurations on it. While I think he’d do okay on road courses and then be a threat at the inevitable 1-3 street courses that are going to be on a schedule….the ovals might be a rough go of it…at least at first. It was for Montoya, Ambrose and probably a few others I’m forgetting as it’s still early in the day. The children on Reddit and Twitter are on the runaway Hype Train, I saw one fella post “SVG is the driver that you think Kyle Larson is”. Oh child…but hey….these are the fans they’re trying to attract.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Is everyone really surprised he jumped in a car that is similar in many aspects to an Australian V8 Supercar at a V8 Supercar type of track (a type NASCAR has NEVER ran on) with a good team like Trackhouse and won?

People are reading too much into it. I think he'd do better than Ambrose because of the car, but he'd probably still struggle on ovals. At least at first.
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No surprise by me. He was definitely in his comfort zone Sunday, methodical, calculated and precise. It was a lot of fun watching him get r done.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Is everyone really surprised he jumped in a car that is similar in many aspects to an Australian V8 Supercar at a V8 Supercar type of track (a type NASCAR has NEVER ran on) with a good team like Trackhouse and won?

People are reading too much into it. I think he'd do better than Ambrose because of the car, but he'd probably still struggle on ovals. At least at first.
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I don‘t agree with that, he is a sprint car driver as well. I‘d be interested to see him on short tracks though
 
I wouldn't dump any of MY guys for SVG, honestly. I disagree with Chasey that he made the regulars look like fools. He should speak for himself. Back to topic....SVG would be a decent gamble for a good team if he brought money....but would I bet the farm on him? Nope.
 
I know it's iracing but considering that is a valid path into nascar (see Josh Berry) it's fair to point out that Shane is wicked fast on ovals in the sim and was beating cup regulars in the 2020 era.

Also helps that he will drive anything, has experience in open wheel, GT, Stock/Supercars, and Sprint Cars. While I don't see him being competitive enough at least initially on ovals I do feel in good equipment would be a solid top 15 driver and can back into a very nice result on his day at a 1.5 while being a favorite at most road courses.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
But oval racing is more of a comfort zone for Cup drivers.
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Ron Fellows finished 2nd at the Glen twice and I don’t remember people thinking he would be a competitive oval racer. Boris Said and Scott Pruett actually tried making the transition and were terrible. Despite his win at London, Robby Gordon was never a top tier oval racer either.

History is littered with road course aces who couldn’t hang on ovals.
 
The Nature Boy said:
Ron Fellows finished 2nd at the Glen twice and I don’t remember people thinking he would be a competitive oval racer. Boris Said and Scott Pruett actually tried making the transition and were terrible. Despite his win at London, Robby Gordon was never a top tier oval racer either.

History is littered with road course aces who couldn’t hang on ovals.
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Robby Gordon should have swept the road courses in 2001. He made a mistake at Sonoma that cost him, and then there was the telemetry fire at Watkins Glen.

Wally Dallenbach got absolutely robbed out of one at Watkins Glen in the 1990s. Possibly the only time in history that Mark Martin was the beneficiary of a NASCAR Screw Job instead of the recipient.

Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya were both really ****** good on road courses. And Danica Patrick was typically a frontrunner at the Xfinity road races, even if the results didn't show it. (The shoe at Montreal, getting completely wrecked on purpose at Road America.)
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Robby Gordon should have swept the road courses in 2001. He made a mistake at Sonoma that cost him, and then there was the telemetry fire at Watkins Glen.

Wally Dallenbach got absolutely robbed out of one at Watkins Glen in the 1990s. Possibly the only time in history that Mark Martin was the beneficiary of a NASCAR Screw Job instead of the recipient.

Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya were both really ****** good on road courses. And Danica Patrick was typically a frontrunner at the Xfinity road races, even if the results didn't show it. (The shoe at Montreal, getting completely wrecked on purpose at Road America.)
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We have WAY too many data points to show that road course skills don’t always translate.

Could he make the playoffs? Sure, but I don’t think he would be a threat for a championship. If he started next year, he would be 34 in his rookie year so it’s debatable whether or not he ever gets there.
 
Revman said:
I wouldn't dump any of MY guys for SVG, honestly. I disagree with Chasey that he made the regulars look like fools. He should speak for himself. Back to topic....SVG would be a decent gamble for a good team if he brought money....but would I bet the farm on him? Nope.
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His Helmet had RED BULL all over it, that is pretty good money I would think. Come on @Revman , SVG took'um to school and handed them there ass Sunday and you know it. Is he the end all of end all drivers, no, but he damn sure can handle a race car on a street course and I would expect the same on road courses as well.

I see a possible Trackhouse with 3 cars after next year and the new car sponsored by REDBULL.
 
I think he would have a similar career to Ambrose and JPM, maybe slightly better with a win here and there


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sdj said:
His Helmet had RED BULL all over it, that is pretty good money I would think. Come on @Revman , SVG took'um to school and handed them there ass Sunday and you know it. Is he the end all of end all drivers, no, but he damn sure can handle a race car on a street course and I would expect the same on road courses as well.

I see a possible Trackhouse with 3 cars after next year and the new car sponsored by REDBULL.
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Red Bull puts their name on a lot of things with varying degrees of commitment I would imagine. They didn't see the worth in NASCAR previously...who knows what they might think now. SVG legit won the race, but didn't sit on pole, and wasn't the fastest in practice. What is stunning, however, is not his speed, but his race craft. I hope the NASCAR guys can race him straight up again.
 
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Revman said:
Red Bull puts their name on a lot of things with varying degrees of commitment I would imagine. They didn't see the worth in NASCAR previously...who knows what they might think now. SVG legit won the race, but didn't sit on pole, and wasn't the fastest in practice. What is stunning, however, is not his speed, but his race craft. I hope the NASCAR guys can race him straight up again.
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He did go quickest in practice by three tenths.

I don’t know if Shane would necessarily bring Red Bull with him. They sponsor his team (Triple Eight) back at home, they did so before him and will do so after him.
 
J'ever notice how no one from other international series comes over here to run a one-off oval race? Why do suppose that is?

Because they suspect they'll get handed their heads.
 
FLRacingFan said:
He did go quickest in practice by three tenths.

I don’t know if Shane would necessarily bring Red Bull with him. They sponsor his team (Triple Eight) back at home, they did so before him and will do so after him.
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Not on the 10 lap average....and not in qualifying. Denny Freaking Hamlin---not our best road course racer by any means--out qualified him. He won, but he did not dominate.....says as much about our guys as it does about him IMO.

interesting to me as well that the fandom jumps on all of this when we tend to celebrate the Preeces of the world for their grit and perseverance.....then a guy 90% of the fanbase doesn't know comes along, and scores an upset....and he is all the rage.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
J'ever notice how no one from other international series comes over here to run a one-off oval race? Why do suppose that is?

Because they suspect they'll get handed their heads.
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"Because ovals are dangerous."
 
I do find it fascinating that everyone was so excited in the moment, and now the discourse has shifted to many wanting him to come in full-time and suggest he could be a title contender versus other people having a chapped ass he did well and suggested some other Aussies/Kiwis could do the same in a one-off appearance. Enjoy it for what it was.

He is massively talented but I don’t think we should De Vries the guy after one race either. And it is genuinely okay that Cup drivers got beat this one occasion.
 
I think SVG did well enough to get a chance with a NASCAR team - he passed the test. It is my opinion that good drivers can do well in any car given enough time to learn the car. In Chicago, SVG had street course experience while the other drivers didn't plus NASCAR drivers don't have experience on a wet/damp track. I suspect he will talk with Ambrose and other drivers to before making any decisions. I would like to see him race in NASCAR again. It looks like Supercar drivers could be another source of NASCAR drivers.
 
The Nature Boy said:
Ron Fellows finished 2nd at the Glen twice and I don’t remember people thinking he would be a competitive oval racer. Boris Said and Scott Pruett actually tried making the transition and were terrible. Despite his win at London, Robby Gordon was never a top tier oval racer either.

History is littered with road course aces who couldn’t hang on ovals.
Click to expand...

I remember Boris Said in the #6/9 Evernham Dodge, #60 Ford, #54 JGR Toyota at some of the ovals in Cup & Xfinity and he was way off at the ovals, entertaining I suppose lol.
 
I suspect it would be comparable to current Allmendinger. Ok but not good on ovals. A threat on the road courses.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
J'ever notice how no one from other international series comes over here to run a one-off oval race? Why do suppose that is?
Click to expand...

For the same reason that we've seen them come over to run one-off oval races in the past and/or attempt entire career transitions: money and exclusivity contracts. I guess everyone forgot Kimi Raikkonen and Narain Karthikeyan; NASCAR Truck Series Drivers.

Drivers are typically employed by manufacturers or teams outside the US rather than independent contractors in the way that you or I understand it in the United States. If you're a Cup owner today, what barriers do you have to dragging someone over from Europe to race? Charters and money. How does trying to recruit Sebastian Loeb into a non-charter team sound like it'll work? Exactly.
 
The Nature Boy said:
I saw another guy post a whole ass thread to ask if Justin Marks is the greatest visionary in NASCAR's recent history.

They're definitely an easily excited group.
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Yeah this so dumb. They forget all the Hall of Fame owners Junior Johnson, Rick Hendrick among others.Trackhouse hasn't done much.
 
I’d like to see Trackhouse move their shop to Nashville.

There’s something cool about Thorsport Racing in Ohio, Furniture Row in Denver, South Point/Gaughan Racing in Las Vegas, Wood Brothers back then in VA, etc etc.
 
ahhculdee said:
Yeah this so dumb. They forget all the Hall of Fame owners Junior Johnson, Rick Hendrick among others.Trackhouse hasn't done much.
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He isn’t even the first one to use a road course ringer. He’s the first to win but DEI and NEMCO came within one spot of doing that with Ron Fellows.
 
racingfan7 said:
I’d like to see Trackhouse move their shop to Nashville.
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Sure … drive to Charlotte to pick up a new rear clip, take it to Nashville, install it and then take the entire chassis back to Charlotte for re-certification.

Haul it home, install the body and then go back to Charlotte for another inspection prior to returning to Nashville to prepare the car for its intended race.

An out of the loop fantasy.
 
aunty dive said:
Sure … drive to Charlotte to pick up a new rear clip, take it to Nashville, install it and then take the entire chassis back to Charlotte for re-certification.

Haul it home, install the body and then go back to Charlotte for another inspection prior to returning to Nashville to prepare the car for its intended race.

An out of the loop fantasy.
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Thorsport Racing does it, where’s your defense here.
 
And the other 45 or 50 or so NASCAR teams don’t. Duke Thorson’s primary business interest(s) are based in Sandusky, Ohio … housed on the same campus as his Truck team.

The music scene in Nashville is definitely better, tho …
 
racingfan7 said:
I’d like to see Trackhouse move their shop to Nashville.

There’s something cool about Thorsport Racing in Ohio, Furniture Row in Denver, South Point/Gaughan Racing in Las Vegas, Wood Brothers back then in VA, etc etc.
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wait I thought Trackhouse was already based out of Nashville, the NBC crew was hollering about a "Home Win For TrackHouse!!" when the 1 took checkers two weeks ago in Music City.
 
Jorge De Guzman said:
wait I thought Trackhouse was already based out of Nashville, the NBC crew was hollering about a "Home Win For TrackHouse!!" when the 1 took checkers two weeks ago in Music City.
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They were planning on it, but I imagine shipping & travel costs are too much. I like seeing as much character as possible, but costs are costs.
 
Jorge De Guzman said:
wait I thought Trackhouse was already based out of Nashville, the NBC crew was hollering about a "Home Win For TrackHouse!!" when the 1 took checkers two weeks ago in Music City.
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Trackhouse is located in Charlotte.

Marks’ hometown is Nashville.
 
On topic, I think SVG’s experience level on street circuits and wet surfaces relative to his competitors sealed the deal for him at Chicago.

There’s only one way to find out how he’d fare on the 4 or 5 different oval track configurations on the NASCAR schedule.
 
aunty dive said:
And the other 45 or 50 or so NASCAR teams don’t. Duke Thorson’s primary business interest(s) are based in Sandusky, Ohio … housed on the same campus as his Truck team.

The music scene in Nashville is definitely better, tho …
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I actually didn't know about Thorsport being right around from Cedar Point; I've spent a lot-lot-lot time in Sandusky including living there one summer. Not that they have any kind of public presence and merch sales there to go visit I'm guessing.

I'm sure for most teams it simply doesn't make sense to be anywhere but around the immediate vicinity of Mooresville NC given that the number of motorsports employees there is probably greater than anywhere else in the country. The only remotely competitive region is probably Greater Indy given the Indycar/USAC/NHRA ties.
 
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