How Shane van Gisbergen Driving for Justin Marks Puts Him at Ease as a NASCAR Owner

Although Daniel Suárez prepares to part ways with Trackhouse Racing amid internal discord, Shane van Gisbergen is swiftly cementing his place as the best in Justin Marks’ stable. With a calm demeanor, commanding presence, as well as skills on road courses and street circuits, the Kiwi has turned heads and tightened his grip in the Cup Series. And if Marks can’t stop singing his praises, it’s for good reason.

SVG has become the measuring stick on any non-oval track. Regardless of weather, layout, or competition, he’s the one every other wheelman now chases. This was loud and clear in Chicago, where SVG didn’t just grab the pole; he put the field in a stranglehold en route to his career’s third Cup race win.

Marks brought him aboard through Project 91 to experiment with global talent, and the return on investment has been nothing short of spectacular. From the moment he stunned the field in his Cup debut on the same streets two years ago, SVG made it clear he wasn’t here just to fill a seat.

While still cutting his teeth on ovals during his rookie campaign, he has road course instincts etched as muscle memory. After dominating the field in Mexico with a huge 16-second win margin and again in Chicago, he has made even seasoned road course veterans look over their shoulders.

Marks, meanwhile, doesn’t chop words when speaking about his driver. In a recent interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the Trackhouse owner said, “He (SVG) is so reliably a performer on these road courses that it’s kind of like, even if the car isn’t right, for him or as good as it could be.

“He is so reliable, knowing that he’s going to get the most out of his opportunities, not going to make mistakes. He’s going to be really smart and strategic about how he manages the races. And you come to these tracks with a guy like Shane, that’s the dream.

“And I think any team owner will tell you that the goal is to have drivers in all of his cars, where every week you go to the racetrack, and you can just be very comfortable with your guys showing up and doing a great job and executing really, really well.”

“We just all kind of turn into fans, honestly, when he’s out there doing his thing, because we all just sort of sit back in awe and just watch him because it’s really unlike anything, anybody in the sport has seen on these road courses in a while.”

And as far as the future is concerned, Marks sees no ceiling for van Gisbergen. In fact, Marks believes that when SVG’s NASCAR chapter eventually closes, he will stand atop the mountain as the greatest road course racer this sport has ever seen. To watch it unfold in real-time and have it happen in Trackhouse colors is something he is incredibly proud of.