Two seasons ago, most in the NASCAR world had no idea who Shane van Gisbergen was. When his name was spotted in the roster for the inaugural Cup Series race in the streets of Chicago, they figured that he would come and go without making much of a mark just like the many foreign drivers before him. But two whole seasons have passed since and the man from the land down under is still here.
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The three-time Supercars champion had a highly successful rookie season in the Xfinity Series this year. He reached victory lane three times and earned a full-time ride for the Cup Series in 2025. He will be driving the iconic No. 88 car for Trackhouse Racing, the team that introduced him to NASCAR through the Project 91 initiative. What does this spell for the Justin Marks-owned outfit?
Trackhouse Racing has completed four full-time seasons in the show. Its growth has been significant in a short period of time and the decision to expand to being a three-car team comes at the perfect juncture.
Together with Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez, van Gisbergen forms a powerful trio of drivers who can compete for the win almost every single race weekend.
Chastain and Suarez will benefit from their new teammate’s mastery of road courses. In return, they will help him improve his oval racing game.
The setup is bound to be a win for all the parties involved. Marks, more so than anybody else. The three drivers have already begun working together and crafting their strategies to take the upcoming season by storm.
Chastain and Suarez reflect on the addition of van Gisbergen
Both Chastain and Suarez had an underwhelming season in 2024. The former failed to make the playoffs and Suarez had no high points throughout the year except for the victory in Atlanta. Fired up to bounce back in 2025, they both welcome the New Zealander into the fold with open arms.
Chastain told the press in Phoenix, “Shane from the driving side and the preparation side, we’ve already been leaning on each other in something as simple as going for runs together, and then as complicated as DIL (driver-in-the-loop simulator) time together, we’re learning how we’re going to structure that for next year.”
Suarez added, “He’s extremely experienced in road-course stuff, the most experienced of probably the entire field, and we’re super excited to work more closely together for road-course stuff. For ovals, I think it’s going to be a learning process for him.” 2024 was a great year for Trackhouse to build on. The goal now is to use all the firepower to hit fresh heights.
