Shane van Gisbergen is not just away from home; he is on the far side of the globe chasing his NASCAR dream. After 17 years in Supercars and three championships, he had already cemented his name as a racing star. Now, with his NASCAR victories and growing fan base, he is leaving a global footprint. The price, however, is steep as the distance from his family fuels a constant homesickness.
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Entering the NASCAR Cup Series at 36, when most drivers have logged countless laps and mastered every nuance of their cars and tracks, SVG has still carved his place. Four Xfinity Series wins and another four in the Cup Series this year prove he is here to stay, as he had asserted following the race at The Glen.
When his father Robert attended Watkins Glen to watch him claim a fourth consecutive road course triumph, he was asked about his son’s NASCAR stint and its longevity. “Look, he’s a big boy now. He can work out what he would do… He’s quite loving it here. So, I’d say he’d be here for a while,” SVG’s dad answered.
@shanevg97‘s father Robert, or as Shane likes to call him “Cheese,” was at @WGI to witness his son win in the #NASCAR Cup Series for the first time in person.
“He’s quite loving it here, so I’d say he’d be here for awhile.”
More from RVG on SVG ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/EE6uvZC7mw
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) August 12, 2025
NASCAR’s punishing schedule, however, leaves little room for homecomings. For SVG, the homesickness is tangible, compounded by his father’s recent hardships. He has already decided that once his racing chapter ends, he will return straight to New Zealand.
After the Watkins Glen win, SVG opened up about his father’s struggles and said, “It’s been pretty difficult. He lost his wife, my mother, and then his sister, and then his mom a month or so ago. It’s been a really rough run for Dad. It’s hard to support him when I’m on the other side of the world. 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.”
Nevertheless, his father shared that SVG returns to New Zealand every Christmas, making the most of their time together. But for now, with four wins in the bag, SVG will have to shift his focus toward the playoffs, where just one road course remains on the schedule. Improving his oval performance will be key if he wants to keep his championship hopes alive in future seasons.
