The Chicago Cubs have never thrown a perfect game in franchise history. But Shane van Gisbergen might just pull one off this weekend — on four wheels.
It’s the kind of weekend that leaves NASCAR veterans questioning reality, crew chiefs reaching for the Advil, and the rest of the field wondering how exactly you stop a Kiwi on a street course and a chip on his shoulder.
It started Saturday when van Gisbergen — who still isn’t entirely sure cities are a good idea — rolled out onto the concrete jungle of the Chicago Street Course and casually claimed the Xfinity Series pole. A few hours later, he turned that prime starting spot into yet another street course victory, reminding everyone why his name causes low-level panic across the NASCAR garage.
But the real flex came during Cup Series qualifying between Xfinity qualifying and that win. With a field of seasoned regulars desperate to get their street course revenge, SVG waited, bided his time, then unleashed a final lap that made the rest of the field look like they were stuck in second gear.
“Yeah, that was epic,” van Gisbergen grinned afterward, as though describing a decent day at Piha Beach rather than a qualifying clinic. “Our team did a great job. The No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet was ripping really good. I’m a lucky boy, I’ve got some great cars today — both the Cup and Xfinity car. This is pretty special.”
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Special? That’s putting it mildly.
With both poles secured and the Xfinity trophy already packed for the flight home, van Gisbergen is now one Cup Series checkered flag away from pulling off a feat rarer than a Cubs perfect game — because in over a century of baseball at Wrigley Field, that has never happened.
Sure, Kyle Busch once swept all three national series races at Bristol and did accomplish the double pole sweep/win at Indy in 2016 . What van Gisbergen is chasing? It’s not just a good weekend — it’s unicorn-level perfection.
Of course, SVG knows better than to assume the rest of the field will roll over. The competition, he admits, is catching on.
“You can always do something better, right?” he said. “You’re always learning. I learned a lot in the Xfinity car this morning, and that just gives you a great leg up for the Cup car. I think it’s great running both cars, it certainly helps.”
It’s helped plenty. The question now is whether van Gisbergen can finish the job.
Because if he does, forget the Cubs, forget baseball — the only perfect game that matters this weekend might belong to the man from New Zealand and a snarling No. 88 Chevrolet.
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.