Shane van Gisbergen, who was running in the top 10, was spun by Sam Mayer during his 19th Xfinity appearance at Pocono Raceway. The Kiwi driver had a rough race as a result of this. Van Gisbergen thought the spin wasn’t deliberate, but it was still a concern for the driver. His second spin on lap 88 of 90, which dropped him to 31st place and put him last on the lead lap, was what truly knocked him for a loop. Gisbergen was eliminated from the competition due to this event while he was vying for a spot in the top 10.
SVG had demonstrated outstanding performance throughout the season, with three wins and many top-5 and top-10 places. With a qualifying lap time of 55.460 seconds, he started the Pocono race in 26th place, but he was able to move up the field with smart tire management and strategy. He advanced to 17th position by taking advantage of a caution on lap 71, and in the closing moments, he even made it as high as eighth. Gisbergen did, however, come forward shortly after to talk about his encounter with the race. Gisbergen was asked the following question during an interview with FrontStretch: “You’re running in the top 10, you’re up to ninth with ten to go, then the one got in the back of you.” His spotter apologized, as I understood, but just how disappointing us that?
The Kaulig Racing driver answered, saying, “Yeah, it’s gutting, man. We’re becoming better and better on these ovals. Third Stage: We made a somewhat wise strategic decision there, and I seem to be improving. Not only did we have fantastic tires, but we also had speed.
While Gisbergen had an important message to share while saying, “Then, yeah, I just got run over by Sam. I’m sure he didn’t mean it, but it’s gutting. And then, in the end, some wobbler just took me out again for the 83rd, so that sucked. But we had a good WeatherTech Camaro here. It’s simply a bad we don’t have a top 10,” he said with a smile on his face. And, as anticipated, when the phrase “wobbler” was used, it drew the attention of hundreds of fans, who started to find their way into the comments area on Reddit.
“Wobbler” throws off Shane van Gisbergen’s fans
The Kiwi has adapted well to American culture and is chasing his dreams. Yet sometimes, he slips up and uses words that his American fans might not be aware of. And that is exactly what happened when he used the term ‘wobbler’. Initially, many couldn’t understand SVG’s sentiment behind it, but it looks like they eventually got it.
A fan, who was evidently fascinated by the driver’s choice of words, wrote: “Idk, man, being called a wobbler is way worse than being called a dumba*s, lol.” Not every day you get to hear someone call another a “wobbler,” and as SVG expressed himself, fans were thoroughly amused by the vocabulary. However, he wasn’t the only driver who faced an issue while racing. Allmendinger was also spun out of the top ten at Turn 1 on the Lap 51 restart.
SVG finished 31st at the chequered flag. But who won the 90-lapper? Well, it was Cole Cluster. He effectively stayed ahead of Justin Allgaier and William Byron on the final restart.
Further, quickly taking to SVG’s personality and humor, one even dropped a comment saying, “Idk what his reputation, demeanor, etc. was over in Supercars…but f*ck man, I don’t know how you can’t like SVG in NASCAR. Dude is so f*cking likeable, not to mention hilarious.”
To add to SVG’s achievements before entering NASCAR, he is one of the only two drivers to have won all three major car racing events at Mount Panorama: the Bathurst 1000, Bathurst 6 Hour, and Bathurst 12 Hour. But now it seems his vocabulary is attracting all the attention.
The term “wobbler” gained so much traction that one even suggested signing a “Petition to call all backmarkers, Wobblers, from now on.” This playful proposal indicates how SVG’s slang resonated with NASCAR fans.
Additionally, hailing from New Zealand, Gisbergen has an accent and hence one fan stated, “Lmao, I love how Australians and British people are all speaking the same language as us, but sometimes I have no f*cking clue what they mean. I love this word for drunk drivers, though.” This comment underscores the joy fans find in the diversity of expressions within the sport.
Shane van Gisbergen had a difficult race, and he ended up finishing at the back. However, he was still in high spirits after the race, and that’s something many find pleasant. A user even expressed, “I can officially say that I am an SVG fan. The dude has a huge smile on his face even after getting spun out of the top 10 and then getting spun for 30th right after. I just love how happy he is to be in NASCAR. SVG is a legend.”