NASCAR driver Shane Van Gisbergen made an appearance along the Grand Strand on Wednesday to promote next weekend’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Van Gisbergen not only answered questions from the media, but also ventured into unfamiliar territory on the football field. The Trackhouse Racing driver is much more familiar with rugby than football, but his kicking skills seem to have traveled with him from his home country of New Zealand.
After a brief question and answer session inside the Coastal Carolina University indoor practice facility, Van Gisbergen got a quick lesson in place kicking, American style, from the Chanticleers’ special teams unit. It seemed to work.
Following the kicking demonstration, Van Gisbergen returned to his comfort zone by racing several members of the CCU coaching staff at Broadway Grand Prix in Myrtle Beach.
Darlington Raceway President Josh Harris was also in attendance and spoke with the media about the upcoming race weekend at the “Track Too Tough to Tame.” His media availability occurred prior to NASCAR releasing its schedule for 2026, which, once again, includes two race dates for Darlington. The raceway will host a triple-header in the spring and a double-header over Labor Day weekend, including the opening round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The Goodyear 400 NASCAR race weekend will take place on March 20-22, 2026, while next year’s Cook Out Southern 500 NASCAR race weekend will be held Sept. 5-6, 2026.