SHANE VAN GISBERGEN - SOUTHPAW SPEED / Right Leg Dominance
For the 5th time in the 2025 NASCAR Cup season SVG won on a road course.
And as always he signed a rugby ball with his left hand and kicked it into the crowd with his right leg.
Handedness isn't random, only 10 - 13 % of the population is left handed. Random would be closer to 50 / 50.
So while he's flipping, and sometimes winning the same stage on a road course, he's steering the car with his dominant left hand, and braking the car with dominant right leg.
This is completely opposite of what most NASCAR race car drivers do, because most "oval" race car drivers steer with their non dominant left hand (while shifting) and brake with their non-dominant left leg.
Most drivers brake with the left foot because at times they hold the throttle to the floor with the right foot, and use their left foot to slow the car down. This keeps the RPMs of the engine up, and its faster than using 1 foot for both pedals. This is the dominant method in the cup series as most races are on ovals.
SVG however is a "right foot braker" using the Heel Toe Method to gain a third foot.
He uses his right foot to press the brake pedal with the toe or ball of the foot, and press or blip the throttle with the heel or side of the same foot. His left foot modulates and presses the clutch pedal.
The blipping the throttle / rev-matching is necessary to shift gears and keep from unsettling the car's balance during heavy braking in a turn.
So the tricky part of pressing 2 pedals with 1 foot is being done with his dominant leg.
His "third foot" or left leg can now press and modulate the clutch pedal.
By momentarily disengaging the clutch (pressing on the clutch pedal), the rear wheels can free roll during deceleration, allowing the car to turn more effectively.
In his previous life as an Australian Supercar Series Champion (right hand drive), they use a locked rear differential, so the cars are very hard to turn. They are forced in that series to use the heel toe method to help the car turn and save the tires.
Drivers slow the cars down with the traditional hydraulic brakes and by using the drag of the engine while the car is in gear.
Pushing the clutch pedal in also takes engine braking pressure / drag off the rear wheels. This allows him to run more rear brake than most drivers.
In the car there is a brake bias knob or valve used to control the distribution of hydraulic braking force between the front and rear brakes. Drivers constantly fine-tune this inside the car, somtimes for every turn.
Since he is able to remove rear brake pressure (from the engine) by modulating the clutch pedal, he can prevent the rear wheels from locking up under heavy braking and allow them to free roll.
Using the clutch, downshifting and braking simultaneously, helps to shift the weight of the car forward.
Dale Jr. (another southpaw) explained during the 2025 Prime Mexico broadcast, SVG using the heel-toe method while modulating the clutch provides an almost "valve-like" control over rear braking.
Most NASCAR drivers are shifting without using the clutch, Cory Lajoie on Stacking Pennies (another southpaw) mentioned SVG is able to make his rear tires last longer because he is not "chirping" the tires during a shift like they do during a traditional no clutch shift.
Myself, SVG and other southpaws might benefit from cerebral lateralization, or "brain-sidedness." For the 10-13% of the population that is left-handed, brain research suggests a more active corpus callosum, the "bridge" between the two hemispheres. This increased "cross-talk" may lead to a more integrated style of thinking and improved neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to adapt and form new neural pathways. This adaptability might enable SVG to better process and execute complex, simultaneous tasks like those required in racing.
If Denny Hamlin were left handed, would he of sailed it there on the last lap at Kansas?
And for physical execution... SVG has full right side brain power while left hand steering and full left side brain power while right foot braking. And since lefty's adapt to all things right handed, Its possible he's processing more on both sides of the brain than one side.
He is absolutely smoking the field.
It is something to think about.
One more left handed NASCAR note:
Skip Flores on Stacking Pennies explained for a left-handed tire changer, the advantage of a single lug nut system is enhanced by their body mechanics, particularly when on their knees. The pit gun tightens the lug nut with a clockwise, or right-hand, rotational force. This action creates a reactive torque that tries to push the pit gun in the opposite, counter-clockwise direction.
To tighten the nut, they are using their dominant left arm and hand. When the gun's clockwise torque pushes back, they can effectively pull up on the left side of the gun's handle with their left arm. This pulling motion, combined with the bracing strength of their bent legs, is a more powerful and natural action for a left-hander's muscles and joints. A right-handed person, by contrast, must use a less efficient pushing motion to counteract the same force. The single lug nut system, introduced with the Next-Gen car, simplifies the process and makes the torque advantage for left-handed pit crew members more pronounced.
This article explains more about Left Handers - Southpaws, Scissors and the Spectrum.
