CHARLOTTE -- Every driver has their definition of a successful playoff run. Many veterans, such as Joey Logano, view anything short of a championship as a failure. This is not the case for Shane van Gisbergen.
He has a simple answer that is uniquely him.
"Having a smile on my face at the end of it," the Trackhouse Racing driver said during Playoff Media Day.
Is this a lack of a competitive spirit, or is it just another example of van Gisbergen's unique personality? It is more likely the latter. After all, this is a driver who continues to meet each hurdle with a smile as he gains experience in NASCAR.
Just don't take that as a lack of passion. Sometimes, he has hidden some pain.
"Every Monday we'd go for lunch with our crew, you'd feel the positivity and know that it wasn't genuine," van Gisbergen told AltDriver in early August.
"There was a couple of weeks it was, but other weeks we had issues or you could see and feel the promise. So yeah, we didn't get fully down about it, but yeah, before Mexico, it was a really tough, tough year."
Mexico became a key turning point. It marked van Gisbergen's first Cup win of the season, and it put him into the playoffs. He then went out and won on the streets of Chicago, at Sonoma Raceway, and at Watkins Glen International.
These wins, which tied for the series lead, put van Gisbergen above the cutline entering his first Cup Series playoff appearance. Now, he has a 16-point cushion heading to his favorite oval track, Darlington Raceway.
"I think you have to be very precise," van Gisbergen said about the South Carolina track. "You've got to be millimeter perfect every lap, comfortable to run against the wall and the proximity to the wall, and then the repetition and consistency.
"I think that seems to suit me, and the way the cars slide around, I really enjoy that place."
The three-time Supercars champion is not a popular pick to make it beyond the opening round of the playoffs despite his cushion to the cutline. One reason is his lack of any experience at World Wide Technology Raceway, the second track of the playoffs.
Another reason is the number of drivers behind him in the standings. This includes champions Chase Elliott and Joey Logano, as well as multi-time playoff contenders Austin Dillon, Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Briscoe.
Does this lack of faith from the outside concern van Gisbergen? No. He's not writing it up on the chalkboard to use as motivation. He's not taking notes about his doubters.
He's just smiling amid the chatter, something he plans to keep doing over the next 10 weeks.
If he succeeds, he'll view the playoffs as successful. If he goes on a deep run and reaches the Round of 8, that's just a bonus.
"It's always fun to have your back against the wall, right, and have to push hard," van Gisbergen said. "I don't use it for motivation or anything, but it's cool being the underdog."