SHANE VAN GISBERGEN'S EDGE EXPLAINED - THE HEEL TOE METHOD

Here's WHO and HOW SVG does it:

The HEEL TOE method combined with constant adjustment of the BRAKE BIAS valve for each turn makes more MECHANICAL GRIP (SPEED).

2023 - Australian V8 Supercars Champion SVG burst onto the NASCAR scene, famously winning his Cup Series debut at the Chicago Street Race. V8 Supercars are similar to Cup Cars, but all tracks are street and road courses.

2024 - SVG competed full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, running 33 races and securing three wins on road courses - Portland, Sonoma, and the Chicago Street Course. He also made 12 part-tme Cup Series starts that year, with a career-best second-place finish (P2) at Watkins Glen.

2025 - He stepped into a full-time Cup Series role winning at Mexico City.

HEEL TOE - This advanced driving skill involves using the right foot to simultaneously depress the brake pedal with the toe or ball of the foot, while "blipping" the throttle with the heel or side of the same foot.

This "rev-matching" action prevents engine braking from unsettling the car's balance during heavy braking and rapid gear changes. As van Gisbergen himself has stated, he uses the clutch "to control the rear locking."

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 without the added drag or potential instability from the engine.

Van Gisbergen has noted that the Xfinity car feels more like a conventional race car, drives uniquely, with "the rear end doing the steering." This characteristic makes his precise footwork and clutch usage particularly impactful in the Xfinity Series. This allows the driver to smoothly load the tires and maximize mechanical grip right up to the corner apex. The Xfinity series and V8 Supercars both run solid rear axles.

BRAKE BIAS - This is an adjustment knob / valve controling the distribution of hydraulic braking force between the front and rear wheels.

Drivers constantly fine-tune this inside the car for optimal handling under braking. As Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained during the Prime Mexico broadcast, SVG using the heel-toe method with the clutch provides an almost "valve-like" control.

It allows the driver to modulate the amount of front and rear brake not only with the knob in the car, but also with the clutch pedal on fly in the curve.

Pushing the clutch pedal takes engine braking pressure off the rear wheels.

Combine that with precise brake pedal control, and he gains unparalleled ability to balance the car on the very limit of adhesion, making it rotate and turn more effectively while minimizing tire lock-up or instability.

MECHANICAL GRIP - The pure adhesive force generated between the tires and the track surface, not including aerodynamic downforce.

By maintaining optimal weight transfer and preventing sudden jolts to the chassis this gives him more usable grip to carry speed through corners.

Allowing for smoother, later braking and earlier acceleration, ultimately translating into faster lap times and a competitive advantage.

It is important to note that Van Gisbergen’s heel-toe method has arisen from V8 Supercars, which utilize a locked rear differential (or spool) and a solid rear axle.

This forces drivers to master precise techniques like clutch modulation, a key element within the heel-toe method itself, to help the car turn efficiently.

Current NASCAR Cup cars, by contrast, feature a distinctly different independent rear suspension and employ a torque-biasing limited-slip differential within their transaxle.

And most NASCAR Cup drivers push the brake pedal with their left foot because they mostly come from ovals.

Also, Trackhouse (his team) did not allow a live camera on his feet during his drive to the Mexico 2025 Cup win, but you can see it from his 2023 Chigago win here. >> SVG HEEL TOE METHOD

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