Jeff Gordon ruled NASCAR’s road courses like few others, racking up nine Cup Series wins on those twisting tracks, five at Sonoma Raceway and four at Watkins Glen International. His dominance peaked in the late 1990s, with a streak of six straight road course victories from 1997 to 2000, including a memorable 1997 Watkins Glen battle where he outdueled Rusty Wallace in a weather-challenged thriller that showcased his precision under pressure.

Back then, road courses were a rare test, limited to just two per season, forcing drivers like Gordon to maximize every opportunity in an era when ovals dominated the schedule. His stats speak volumes: a career average finish of ~13 on road courses, blending aggressive passing with calculated strategy that made him the benchmark for generations.

Enter Shane van Gisbergen, the Kiwi sensation whose Supercars background, honed on tight street circuits with concrete walls and zero margin for error, has translated seamlessly to NASCAR’s road layouts. Ryan Blaney nailed it on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, saying, “A lot of areas have trouble, and that’s why Shane is so good. His technique is really good, and he has a lot of experience on these street courses from his V8 days.” Blaney added, “He just has a better understanding of it than a lot of people. A lot of technique here. It would take 10 years for me to get halfway to what Shane can do with his right foot.”

Shane van Gisbergen has stormed into NASCAR history, tying Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch with nine career road course wins across the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck series, just 21 road starts into his U.S. tenure since 2023. Gordon took 47 starts to achieve this, while Busch took 41, implying how SVG has already equaled their record in half the races. This milestone came after his commanding Watkins Glen victory, where he led 38 laps and finished 11.116 seconds ahead of Christopher Bell, marking his fourth straight Cup road course win and setting a rookie record for consecutive such triumphs.

Van Gisbergen’s path echoes Gordon’s early road mastery but with a twist: his Supercars roots, where he claimed three championships, equipped him for NASCAR’s expanded road slate, now featuring up to six events annually versus Gordon’s two-per-year grind. Post-race, van Gisbergen reflected on the team’s growth, stating, “I think the difference has been that I’m with the team full time this year and I’ve been able to develop a setup and fine-tune it to the way I want.” He elaborated, “We have gotten better rather than anything else. We turn up to the track, and we know what our tools are, our tuning tools. I know what I want the car to feel like.”

This domination isn’t just about numbers; it’s about execution under pressure, like avenging last year’s Watkins Glen runner-up finish to Chris Buescher. Van Gisbergen shared, “Well, that made up for last year! Amazing day, thank you to @WeatherTech and the @TeamTrackhouse 88 crew.” His 42.9% win rate on road courses dwarfs peers, fueled by flawless strategy at Trackhouse Racing, where he noted, “This is why I moved here, and this is why Justin (Marks) believed in me; he knew that I could do this. I changed my life to come do this.”

Think back to Gordon’s 1998 Sonoma sweep, leading 92 of 112 laps in a display of untouchable pace; van Gisbergen’s Watkins Glen romp mirrors that, leading the final 17 laps after a pit cycle, proving his edge in an era with more road tests but fiercer fields. As he eyes the playoffs, van Gisbergen admitted, “It isn’t going to be easy, that’s for sure. The first round, it’s some very difficult left-handed tracks for me, but I’m getting better at it.” A Reddit post spotlighting van Gisbergen’s tie for second all-time with nine road wins ignited lively debates, with fans dissecting his trajectory and pondering if championships await the five-time Cup winner.

Fans weigh in on Shane van Gisbergen’s road to glory

One fan captured the blend of volume and efficiency, saying, “Assuming he even picks up a couple / year for a while, he’ll easily have the raw win record partially because NASCAR runs so many road courses compared to decades of 2 / year through basically all of Gordon’s career and a decent chunk of Busch’s. The win rate, especially for cup, is the wildly impressive stat.”

This rings true given NASCAR’s shift from two road races in Gordon’s prime to five or six now, including additions like the Charlotte Roval since 2018. Van Gisbergen’s 42.9% win rate shines brighter here, outpacing Gordon’s 22% career clip on roads, a stat amplified by his quick adaptation after leaving Supercars, where he notched 80 victories mostly on similar layouts. Recall Ambrose’s 2012 Watkins Glen upset over Keselowski; it highlighted how infrequent chances built legends, but van Gisbergen’s consistent hauls in a busier calendar could redefine records.

“SVG would be up there anyways, but there also weren’t nearly as many road races in the past compared to today.” Historically, pre-2018 schedules stuck to Sonoma and Watkins Glen, limiting icons like Stewart to eight Cup road wins over 18 years. Van Gisbergen benefits from extras like Chicago’s street course, where he won his 2023 debut, but his skill stands out. Five Cup Road triumphs in 38 starts versus Stewart’s in hundreds. This echoes Montoya’s 2007 Sonoma breakthrough as a Formula 1 transplant, proving outsiders can excel.

“If he can sort out the ovals, he will be a champ in the next couple years. If not, he will be in the playoffs every year just because of the road courses.” Playoffs reward wins, and van Gisbergen’s four this season lock him in, much like Chase Elliott‘s 2020 title run, boosted by road prowess. His oval average finish sits at 26.9, a hurdle from his non-stock car roots, but progress shows, with top-10s at tracks like Iowa. Consider Allmendinger’s Xfinity dominance leading to Cup playoffs; van Gisbergen’s road locks could mirror that, potentially culminating in a title if ovals click, as fans envision.