Does Shane van Gisbergen deserve to race in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs? This is the question on every mind after the Kiwi won the inaugural Cup Series race in Mexico City on Sunday. His victory gave him a spot in the playoffs, although his season has otherwise been underwhelming. Before jumping to conclusions, Denny Hamlin’s opinion on the matter deserves a hearing.
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Van Gisbergen was brought into the Cup Series for a reason. His amazing prowess on road courses is no secret. And it was always a known fact that he wasn’t going to be quite as adept on oval tracks. True to these expectations, he disappointed on the traditional NASCAR venues and has hit the ball out of the park on a road course. Why, then, does he deserve the backlash?
Hamlin put this argument forward on Actions Detrimental back in April. “It’s that’s what he was built to do — is come over here and win some road course races and then be somewhat competitive as he could on the ovals. And so you got to go through 31 or 32 races of pain to get to the five or six that you really got a shot at it,” he had said back then.
If this holds, this is why Shane Van Gisbergen is a full-time Cup Series driver. When one win can be so transformative, he makes the playoffs and the 88’s charter will finish top-16 and gain in value too. This moment is why he’s in the car this year.
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) June 15, 2025
Before the race in Mexico, van Gisbergen was 33rd in the points table. He has now moved up three spots. With more road courses coming up on the calendar, he could potentially gather more wins. These track types have become a mainstay in the sport and are as important as superspeedways or intermediates. The reality of this makes a strong case in favor of the Supercars champion.
Moreover, van Gisbergen has justified all the investment that has been put on him by Justin Marks. The No. 88 charter is on track to finish in the top 16 and gain in value significantly. This is why the team owner went to great lengths to bring him from New Zealand to the United States. The manner of his win on Sunday was simply astounding, to say the least.
SVG is now the first driver since Marvin Porter in 1960 to win his first two Cup races at inaugural venues. And the 16.567-second margin he posted over second-placed Christopher Bell is the largest in the Cup Series since Kurt Busch won at the Texas Motor Speedway in the fall of 2009.
What the 36-year-old Auckland native needs to do now is bring this form back to the ovals. A victory on a track other than a road course should silence many of his critics.
