After making his debut last year with a victory at the Chicago Street Course, Shane van Gisbergen, the three-time Australian Supercars Champion stepped into the NASCAR scene as a full-time Xfinity series driver.
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In September 2024, he also secured a full-time NASCAR Cup ride for next year with Trackhouse Racing to drive the #88 Chevy, thanks to his performance in the Xfinity Series this season.
But is he up to the task of being a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver? Given the NASCAR Next Gen cars draw heavy inspiration from the Supercars model, the transition might seem smoother for him. But then, considering his limited experience on ovals, which are a staple of NASCAR racing, fans may have their doubts about his readiness for a full-time Cup racing schedule.
During his part-time venture into NASCAR Cup racing, Shane van Gisbergen managed to crack the top 5 twice — at Watkins Glen International and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. His participation in this year’s Chicago Street race was cut short by an accident, relegating him to a P40 finish.
On the oval circuits, his best showing was a P15 finish at Talladega Superspeedway. In other oval track races, he struggled to break into the top 20, until last weekend’s race at Martinsville.
Starting from 29th place at the Virginia racetrack, the Kaulig Racing driver fought his way up to 12th by the end, after initially finishing Stage 1 and 2 in 34th and 25th places, respectively.
In the Xfinity series, though the Kiwi driver flexed his racing muscles. In his first full-time Xfinity season, SVG powered into the playoffs, notching three wins, seven top-5 finishes, and ten top-10s, though his campaign ended after the Round of 12. However, yet again, all his Xfinity Series victories came on road courses — at Portland Speedway, Sonoma Raceway, and Chicago.
While he did manage a top-5 finish in one oval race in the Xfinity Series at Atlanta, with the season finale at Phoenix just around the corner, it’s gearing up to be a riveting preview of his full-time jump into the Next Gen car at Daytona come next February.
SVG is pleased with his improvement at the oval short-track
Considering his finish at P28 in the Martinsville Xfinity Series race, despite starting at P20, SVG’s climb to P12 in the Cup race brought a much-needed sigh of relief. Reflecting on his best and first noteworthy performance at a short track, and his fourth non-superspeedway oval race result in his 14th Cup Series start, SVG remarked:
“That was a long race but really fun! My Acceptance Insurance Chevrolet felt really good when we were in clean air, and we were even ripping some pretty good lap times. Super stoked with the 12th-place finish. Such a good way to finish with my Kaulig Racing team.”
SVG fans are likely crossing their fingers for him to crack the top 10 in the last oval race of the season at Phoenix. If he can maintain this momentum, a top-10 finish at the Dogleg Oval could well be within reach.
