Many NASCAR fans have expressed discontent with the current points system. Definitely, the playoffs point system has its problems, but SVG making the playoffs is not one of them. All over X/Twitter you can find comments about how a road course ringer should not have been able to possibly knock a consistent driver like Alex Bowman out of the playoffs.

I am not going to argue one way or another about the playoffs in this article. Instead, I see a driver with four wins making the playoffs as a good thing. To me the drivers with one win and being far back in the points are a much bigger question mark. I understand that fans are upset with the idea of a road course ringer coming in and making the playoffs, but its not like he just won one race. He won four. Furthermore, SVG is not just a road course ringer. He is a rookie that dominates road courses and is improving on ovals.

SVG

Image Credit: Gregory Latham — Pit Pass Network

Shane van Gisbergen’s Rookie Season Thus Far

This is SVG’s first full season driving for the same team in the Cup series. Many of us weren’t sure how he would perform overall. Given his 6th place finish at COTA, I don’t think any of us expected him to go out and win the next 4 road course races. Now I think it is fair to say that he is the favorite at any type of road course. Whether it’s a street course, a Roval, or just an old school road course, if there are right hand turns, Shane van Gisbergen is the favorite to win.

The real question is how long will it take him to learn oval racing. To be completely honest with you, I think he’s learning it quicker than many expected. He has seven top 20 finishes on ovals this season. His first top 20 on an oval came at Darlington of all places. Two of these oval top 20s were top 15 finishes. He finished 14th in the Coca-Cola 600 and 14th in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond.

I was at the Richmond race, and I was blown away by what I saw from SVG. SVG didn’t wait for adjustments to get his car to handle better, he went searching for speed in different lines. He found it in what some would likely call the “Larson” line. He wasn’t using this line as a defensive maneuver; he was able to pass a lot of people using this line. Many he had to pass twice, after getting caught a lap down when a caution came out during green flag pit stops. SVG has clearly started to learn how to apply his talent to oval racing. This makes him more than a road course ringer.

SVG

Image Credit: Gregory Latham — Pit Pass Network

SVG’s Playoff Chances

Personally, I believe the toughest round for SVG to advance through is going to be the first round. I say this for a couple reasons. First, he seems to be learning ovals more and more each week. It just makes sense that with more experience on ovals he will have a better chance at performing well on them during the playoffs. Second, it is Darlington, Gateway, and Bristol. SVG has stated that Bristol is probably the toughest challenge for him. Furthermore, he has never been to Gateway.

Thankfully, his four wins gives him a little points cushion. He is 16 points above the cutoff line. I think that Darlington will probably be his best track in the first round. I expect he will run inside the top 20 most of the night, and probably end up with a top 15 finish. After all, his first top 20 oval came to Darlington earlier this year, and he has learned a lot since that race. He has never been to Gateway, then again he had never raced cup cars at Richmond and ended up with a 14th place finish. Braking is very important at Gateway as well. Given his skill set, that should be a positive for him. If he can survive Bristol, he could possibly make it to the round of 12.

If SVG makes it to the round of 12, he will have a great shot to advance via a win at the Roval in Charlotte. Given his performance at Daytona, he’s just an upset win away at Talladega from making the final four. I don’t expect to see that happen, but I would not be surprised to see him in the round of 8 at all.

SVG is a Positive Example for this Points System

I hate that none of the RFK Racing cars made the playoffs. Both Ryan Preece and Chris Beuscher deserved to be in the playoffs. If Keselowski had won Daytona, for example, I don’t think anyone would have complained about him being included. That is because, despite him having a rough season, we know that Keselowski is capable of getting it done. The playoff spot wouldn’t be wasted on Brad Keselowski.

The same is true of Shane van Gisbergen. I know many fans don’t want to admit it, due to “SVG fatigue”, but he is capable of getting it done. If you want to be angry with a driver wasting a playoff spot, blame Austin Dillon or Josh Berry. Personally, I don’t see Alex Bowman making it out of the first round, but then again, he can surprise us at times. Remember, SVG is a highly skilled rookie and is clearly learning to apply his skills to oval racing. His place in the playoffs is not wasted on him.  After all, SVG is more than a road course ringer.