In 2025, NASCAR witnessed several stellar drivers. But only a few of them stood out as legendary rookies – including Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch. The Supercars veteran rocked the Cup Series with his impeccable road course wins, while the 19-year-old prodigy was an almost invincible force in the Xfinity Series. Both of them were rookies in their respective series, and both proved that glittering futures await them.

The 2025 NASCAR Championship weekend concluded over 3 weeks ago, and preparations for 2026 are in full swing. From new team recruits to fresh forging of partnerships, efforts are ceaseless. And particularly phenomenal work is underway in the Trackhouse Racing garage – with an F1 sponsor.

Shane van Gisbergen will wear championship colors

Last weekend, four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen took the victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. He hoisted Red Bull’s colors after defeating McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. And Red Bull is on a roll, as it just released its next big piece of news. It is continuing its partnership with Trackhouse Racing for the second year in a row, with SVG and Connor Zilisch racing side-by-side in the Cup Series. Journalist Joseph Srigley updated on X: “@RedBull will sponsor @TeamTrackhouse drivers @ConnorZilisch and @ShaneVG97 for a combined 25 NASCAR Cup Series events in 2026.”

The 2026 Red Bull paint schemes feature a striking matte, dark blue base, elevated by glittering accents that outline the cars’ numbers. Shane van Gisbergen’s No. 97 Chevrolet showcases eye-catching red rays streaking from the lower front tire to the upper rear. “I love the red flash designs on both sides of the car,” SVG said. On the other hand, Connor Zilisch’s No. 88 displays bold blue rays sweeping across both sides of the car. “The dark matte blue allows the light blue streaks to pop. I’m excited to have it on track next year,” Zilisch said.

Connor Zilisch will flaunt the Red Bull colors on February 15 in the Daytona 500, hoping to cover for his prior blunder. This makes the 19-year-old the youngest competitor to enter the prestigious race since Joey Logano in 2009 at the age of 18. Meanwhile, 6-time Cup Series race winner Shane van Gisbergen will wheel the Red Bull Chevrolet for the first time in 2026, one week later at EchoPark Speedway on February 22nd.

Red Bull and Trackhouse partnered for the first time in 2025, and it turned out to be a brilliant call. Both Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch delivered a combined 16 victories. SVG drove the iconic Red Bull colors back to Sonoma Raceway’s Victory Lane for the first time since 2011, marking his third win of the season. Meanwhile, Zilisch picked up 10 Xfinity wins in 32 starts, breaking records as the Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

These developments are hyping up fans for an iconic teammate showdown in 2026. Meanwhile, SVG continues to garner more fans.

Hailing his ultimate role model

Although the NASCAR championships have ended, the action has not. NASCAR drivers are active as ever in the off-season, especially Austin Cindric and Jesse Love. Both of them are gearing up for their Supercars debut in Aussie waters. Love, the 2025 Xfinity Series champion, is seeing through Richard Childress Racing’s previous attempt at taking Kyle Busch to Supercars. And he recently divulged that Shane van Gisbergen helped him in his efforts to contest the season finale of the 2025 Dunlop Super2 Series at the BP Adelaide Grand Final.

Jesse Love shared about his aspirations due to SVG’s help. “I didn’t even really know about it until Shane,” he said. I didn’t even realise what was going on in Australia other than midget and sprint car racing.” He added, “We became good friends, we started looking into it, and I thought it looked like so much fun. More importantly, I thought there was so much for me to learn here, and the stuff that Shane does is like magic. If I can go over there and trial by fire, get my butt kicked, and learn some of that magic that Shane has, it will be a huge experience for me.”

Clearly, Shane van Gisbergen’s road course prowess is motivating a huge swathe of drivers. Let’s wait and see how the Kiwi racer performs alongside Connor Zilisch in 2026.