As detailed earlier in the week, NASCAR officials met with Shane Van Gisbergen and Austin Hill on Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway to discuss the increasing tensions between them over the past month.
While this is a bit of a rivalry that began during their time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, the past three weeks have heightened the animosity. Van Ginsbergen was leading the race at Naval Base Coronado when contract from Hill triggered a multi-car melee that eliminated numerous cars from contention.
Then, last week at Chicagoland Speedway, Hill crashed off the nose of Van Gisbergen when it appeared the latter simply chose not to lift in the corner based on the eye test and available SMT data.
However, Van Gisbergen never admitted intent over the radio, and NASCAR chose not to issue penalties as a result of the contact but required them both to attend a meeting in the series hauler in Georgia. Hill also did not receive a penalty for door slamming Van Gisbergen under the ensuing caution period.
Hill was the first to emerge and did not give much away to the attending media scrum. He called it ‘interesting.’
What was?
“All of it,” said Hill. “NASCAR let us know what we need to do moving forward. I will leave that in there.”
There is a reference to the hauler. What’s next?
“We’re going to go to a race and, yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
He also said he ‘sure hoped so’ that it was over.
However, the three-time Supercars champion said he was more contrite than Hill, and wasn’t sure what the resolution was by the end.
“I’ve been here long enough to understand how this all works, but also still learning and this was my first time in the hauler,” said SVG. “One person seemed more remorseful and eager to move on than the other.
“I don’t know how much to say, but yeah, I’m not happy but I have more to lose than he does but who knows.”
He still maintains it wasn’t intentional.
“I was racing hard and the outcome wasn’t what I wanted,” Van Gisbergen said. “I wanted to dive in hard and get to his inside. That didn’t work out. I didn’t want to wreck a race car. I didn’t want to escalate, I don’t know what it is, this rivalry, us not being able to get along the last three years.
“I don’t want to escalate it because I’m the one with a lot to lose. It’s a weird dynamic in the meeting and weird how it ended.”
How did it end?
“I left confused and yeah, I don’t know. I know where I’m at with it. I want to move on. He’s not at that point.”
