Shane van Gisbergen had a highly successful rookie year in the NASCAR Cup Series. He secured five wins and finished the year 12th in the points table. While all three wins came on road courses, his development on the oval tracks was notably significant as well.
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In light of this, he admitted to the press in Phoenix that the year went by a lot better than he expected it to.
“That’s what I hoped it would be,” said van Gisbergen. “I have enjoyed my racing more than I thought. I didn’t know what it would be like doing the same thing every single weekend because I was used to trying different series in different disciplines.
“Doing the same thing all year, I wasn’t sure how I’d find it. But yeah, I have really liked that. I like the challenges. I like how the tracks vary throughout the year.”
Shane van Gisbergen, the Rookie of the Year in the Cup Series, wasn’t sure how he would like doing the same thing every weekend. But he’s enjoying his time in the U.S. and in NASCAR.
Plus, what he found he likes in the Cup Series that he didn’t in the Xfinity Series: pic.twitter.com/l3iEhnaQKR
— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) November 4, 2025
Van Gisbergen arrived in the United States in 2023 to race in the inaugural Chicago Street Course event. He raised every eyebrow in the sport when he emerged as the surprise victor. Ever since, his entry into full-time Cup Series competition has been highly anticipated. He has proven through his performance in 2025 that the hype built around him wasn’t for nothing.
For a major part of the year, the Trackhouse Racing driver struggled to find his groove on oval tracks. Constant finishes outside the top-10 were turning out to be worrisome despite his superior results in road courses. But as the clock turned, the grass under him began turning greener. At Kansas in September, he finished in 10th place and secured his first top-10 finish at an oval track in the Cup Series.
What van Gisbergen enjoyed the most in 2025
Van Gisbergen, a former Australian Supercars champion was further asked to comment on what he enjoyed this year or what took him by surprise the most. He replied, “I like the intermediate stuff. I didn’t really like that much in Xfinity last year. This year, that’s where I felt like I made the bigger gains in the second half of the year. So, yeah, that type of racing where you can move around at high speeds is pretty cool.”
In 2026, Van Gisbergen will be joined by the young superstar Connor Zilisch in the premier tier as a teammate. Their battles throughout this year were a thrilling spectacle to watch. In short, interesting times are ahead for Trackhouse Racing’s No. 88 driver.
