This one was for dear old Dad. That was the message Shane van Gisbergen imparted after winning Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International.
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Shane’s father, Robert, came to the United States from their native New Zealand for a three week holiday to coincide with three of his son’s NASCAR Cup races. And the first one Robert attended, Sunday’s race at The Glen, wound up with his son putting on an emphatic display, winning by more than 11 seconds.
“Maybe I’m too old, or getting old, but I just try and reflect and take in the moment a bit more,” Shane said after the big win. “Today was really special. Never had my dog in Victory Lane before and my Dad as well.
“He hasn’t been able to travel all year being sick. To have him here for the next three weeks and have a win with it, it’s just really cool to have that moment.”
Robert van Gisbergen has had to deal with a great deal of emotional upheaval and sadness in his life recently.
“It’s been pretty difficult,” Shane said of his father. “He lost his wife, my mother (Karen Wallace, died in April 2024 after a short illness), and then his sister and then his mom a month or so ago. It’s been a really rough run for Dad.”
And it’s been equally rough on Shane because of the commitment he has to his team and his livelihood.
“It’s hard to support him when I’m on the other side of the world,” Shane said about his father. “That’s probably why I’m the most homesick. Then my sister has moved away as well, so he’s kind of by himself all of a sudden.
“I try and talk to him every day, and yeah, to have him here, and like he was almost in tears too. It’s really special to share that, because we’re a long way from home.”
Robert van Gisbergen will be sticking around for a while
But Robert will be on Shane’s pit box this coming Saturday at Richmond and the following Sunday in the regular season finale at Daytona. Then it’s on to the 10-race Cup playoffs. While it’s hard to fathom the success he’s enjoying, SVG isn’t taking anything for granted either.
“Yeah, it normally hits me on the plane ride home or 4 a.m. after a few beers,” he said. “Yeah, I try to reflect on it, but I also try and get to the next week pretty quick as well.”
Shane then added with a laugh, “I’ll try not to tweet at 4 a.m. this morning.”
