Shane van Gisbergen’s dominant run in Mexico didn’t exactly blindside the paddock. After all, the Kiwi had already put his road course prowess on full display long before he made his name in the Cup Series win column this season with his Chicago win in 2023. What did turn heads, however, was the sheer margin by which he crossed the finish line, over 16 seconds ahead of the rest at Mexico. Even his fiercest rivals, including Ryan Blaney, couldn’t help but tip their cap.
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In a recent appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR, Blaney offered a tongue-in-cheek assessment of SVG’s brilliance, taking a playful jab at himself in the process.
“The only time I watch him is on the TV, because I don’t see him during the race. He’s so far ahead of me. It’s not often that I get to be behind him. Man, honestly, it’s… For me, it’s not really frustration. It’s a lot of admiration. I know how good he is.”
Blaney continued with a nod to SVG’s clinical dismantling of the field in Mexico. “It’s so impressive. Like, how good he is, especially up to street courses. I mean, he showed it in Mexico as well. How much of a butt kicking that he put on us there?”
“While he was coming out both ends, as he was saying in Mexico, and he still put 15 seconds on everybody. So, it’s just impressive, man.”
“For me it’s not really frustration, it’s a lot of admiration.”
Ryan @Blaney says @shanevg97 is “on another level” when it comes to racing on street courses.
Full Hour → https://t.co/MKhd9eLpQA pic.twitter.com/jo5LZtnZnm
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) July 11, 2025
The #12 Team Penske driver explained how even advanced SMT data, which helps teams dissect where they’re losing time, offers little solace when it comes to chasing down SVG. It’s not a matter of a missed apex or a slow exit. According to Blaney, SVG simply has the whole lap stitched together tighter than anyone else in the field.
Blaney admitted that SVG is on another level about how he manages his car over the bumps, how he squeezes every drop out of it, and the wild part is that he’s not even wringing it out. He’s doing all that at 90 percent. If he ever turns it up to 100, all the other drivers might just be racing for second.
While van Gisbergen continues to tread water on ovals, currently ranked 27th in the standings despite two wins, Blaney holds down seventh with one victory to his name. But on the road courses, SVG’s leaving everyone, including the champ, eating his dust.
