Denny Hamlin on a short track is always a spectacle, and while many aim to outrun him, Shane van Gisbergen is eager to study his craft. With an average finish of 8.1 across 36 short-track starts, highlighted by five wins and 20 top-fives, Hamlin stands as a benchmark for the New Zealander still adapting to ovals.
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Though SVG has already captured four wins this season in five road-course events, the oval game remains his work in progress, and on Sunday at Richmond, he plans to take a few pointers from Hamlin’s playbook.
Coming off the Watkins Glen win, SVG spoke about his appreciation for Hamlin’s approach during a pre-race press conference. “It’s just amazing… it’s just the different styles, right? And his (Hamlin’s) style is very unique. The way he’s mainly using a different gear and stabbing at the throttle, and it’s just techniques, I’ve never come across or needed to use before.”
“But in NASCAR, there’s so many different ways to get the car around the track fast. And I’m trying to be as open-minded as possible and changing my style. And especially for a track I’ve never been to before. And I probably won’t try it today in practice, but if it gets stalled out in the race and or in a moment where I’ve got time to try stuff, I’ll experiment a bit,” he added.
“His style is very unique.” – @shanevg97 on learning from Denny Hamlin’s SMT Data at Richmond Raceway.
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— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) August 16, 2025
He also noted how the top-tier Cup drivers show subtle but critical variations in their driving, making it fascinating to observe and learn. To SVG, oval racing feels like a blank canvas, and he is still working to discover the style that best fits.
Last year, when he was still driving in the Xfinity Series, the Trackhouse Racing driver had a decent P14 finish at Richmond. And on Sunday, it would be the second time he would drive on the track.
However, he is starting to improve as well on the ovals, so fans might expect a better result this time around. Recently, SVG earned his first oval win in a Legends Car, taking the Pro Legends A-Feature at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the closing night of the 2025 Cook Out Summer Shootout.
He also qualified P1 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, P6 at Dover Motor Speedway, and P11 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For now, he is sharpening his oval skills not only in NASCAR but also by cutting his teeth in Legends competition.
