NTI Townsville 500 on Channel 7 has Shane Van Gisbergen chasing a win

NTI Townsville 500 on Channel 7 – Shane Van Gisbergen chases Supercars win in Townsville after NASCAR victory on debut. Young guns fire up for leaderboard battle.

REPCO Supercars champion Shane Van Gisbergen will be riding high at the NTI Townsville 500 this weekend, after stunning the world of motorsport this week by winning the NASCAR Cup Series race in Chicago on debut.

With the victory, the New Zealander became the first man in 60 years to win a NASCAR race on debut – promptly putting a target on his back on home soil, as the drivers’ championship heats up at the Reid Park street circuit, from 12.00pm this Saturday on Seven, 7mate and 7plus.

In the round six battle between the Chevrolet Racing Camaro and the Ford Performance Mustang, Van Gisbergen will have to be on guard from the young guns already dominating this year’s leaderboard – including Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown (pictured, with army mascot, ‘Courage’).

With a 142-point teams’ championship lead, Coca-Cola Racing by Erebus will look to hold their advantage, with Red Bull Ampol Racing hot on their tails.

Sunrise favourite and Seven’s resident motorsport expert Mark Beretta said:

“This is fast shaping up as the round of the year in the glorious Townsville sunshine!”

“Shane Van Gisbergen arrives back all revved up from his world-beating NASCAR debut in Chicago, and the Mustangs’ pick up more speed, thanks to a tweak of the rear wing. Brodie Kostecki is going to have to fight like a Spartan to hold onto his championship lead,” he said.