NASCAR’s road courses have always been a proving ground where raw talent shines, and few eras showcased that grit like the days of Dale Earnhardt Sr., Richard Petty, and Jimmie Johnson. Earnhardt, the Intimidator, wasn’t known for road-course wizardry, but his 1995 Sonoma win, his only Cup road-course victory, proved his tenacity. Driving a car with a solid rear axle, manual steering, and a standard gearbox, he muscled through with sheer determination.

Even though he had multiple championships under his belt, that win in the Wine Country was special for the Intimidator. “I knew I was close to getting my first win on a road course and I didn’t want to blow it after trying for so long,” he said after battling with Mark Martin.

Then there’s Richard Petty, the King, who racked up six Cup road-course wins, including five at Riverside and one at Bridgehampton. His 1969 Motor Trend 500 victory at Riverside saw him pilot a 1969 Ford Torino 25 seconds ahead of A. J. Foyt, despite clunky suspension and heavy steering. “We didn’t have road race cars… we just changed springs,” Petty once said, explaining how they tweaked stiffer right-side springs and softer left-side ones to handle Riverside’s twists.

In a Hot Rod Magazine chat, he admitted, “When you get to running road courses… I loved doin’ that. I think that’s where the driver comes out.” Those cars, with no power steering or traction control, demanded everything from the driver, and Petty thrived. Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time champion, took eight years to crack road courses, finally winning at Sonoma in 2010 during the Car of Tomorrow (CoT) era. “It’s an irritation… I know I can do this. I get in other road course cars and I’m plenty fast,” he said before the race.

Richard Petty’s victory in a car with solid axles, manual steering boxes, and basic suspension showed his meticulous approach, honed through relentless work. These legends raced raw machines, drum brakes, four-speed manuals, no electronic aids, where driver skill was king. As Petty’s crew chief, Dale Inman, recalled tweaking brakes and springs at tracks like Martinsville was grueling, and Earnhardt’s bone-rattling crashes tested both body and nerve.

Fast forward to 2025, and Shane van Gisbergen is rewriting the road-course playbook. His back-to-back Cup wins at Chicago’s Grant Park 165, where he led 38 laps from pole, and Mexico City, with a late-race surge, have cemented him as NASCAR’s road-course king. His 2023 Chicago debut win, the first in a Cup driver’s first start since 1963, stunned the field. But could SVG have hung with the likes of Earnhardt, Petty, or Johnson in their eras’ less forgiving cars?

A Reddit post titled “Would SVG be as road course dominant in the older generation NASCAR cars?” sparked a lively debate, with fans weighing in on whether the Kiwi’s skills would translate to those raw, heavy stock cars.

Fan Reactions to SVG’s old-school potential

One fan kicked things off with, “So you mean like the current Xfinity car that he won with last week?” It’s a sharp point. SVG’s 2025 Xfinity win at Portland International Raceway came in a car closer to older NASCAR generations, with a solid rear axle and less aero grip than the Next Gen Cup car. SVG himself said post-race, “It reminded me a lot of Supercars… you’re wrestling the car, sliding it, using your feet.”

His ability to manhandle the Xfinity car, beating road-course aces like AJ Allmendinger and Cole Custer, suggests he’d adapt to the raw, driver-centric cars of Earnhardt’s or Petty’s era. Those older machines, with their manual steering and basic setups, rewarded the kind of car control SVG honed in Supercars, where he won three titles.

Another fan argued, “With the amount of practice drivers used to have and against the field at the time, he would be even more dominant.” Back in the day, NASCAR offered multiple practice sessions and test days, unlike today’s 20 to 50-minute sessions. More track time would’ve let SVG fine-tune his braking points and setups, areas where he already shines. Kevin Harvick, after SVG’s 2023 Chicago win, said, “Give this guy a whole weekend like we used to have, and he might lap us.” With his trail-braking expertise and adaptability, SVG could’ve turned races into clinics, much like he did in Mexico City 2025, outpacing veterans with less prep time.

A third fan broke it down: “How old are we talking? The previous gen probably. CoT? Yeah, if Ambrose did it he can. Gen 4? Maybe.” The CoT era (2007 to 2012), with its high center of gravity and tricky handling, was tough, but Marcos Ambrose, another Supercars star, won twice at Watkins Glen. SVG’s smoother inputs and long-run pace suggest he’d match or surpass Ambrose.

Gen 4 cars (1992 to 2006), however, were aero-sensitive and unforgiving, like those Earnhardt drove. SVG’s 2023 Indy road course top-10 finish in a Next Gen car, despite limited practice, shows he’d likely adapt, though the Gen 4’s raw power might test even his skills against Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart’s prime.

Another commenter noted, “He did pretty great in Xfinity, which is basically a reworked COT, but he was also having to race against Xfinity drivers. I’m not sure how well he’d do in the Gen 4 against this Cup field.” SVG’s Portland Xfinity win over Allmendinger, with 15 road-course victories, was no fluke, but the Gen 4 era’s Cup field, Gordon, Stewart, and Mark Martin, was stacked. Those cars demanded precision without modern aids, and SVG’s limited oval experience might’ve been a hurdle. Still, his Chicago 2023 debut, passing top Cup drivers, hints he’d hold his own, even if not dominating as he does now.

Finally, a fan said, “The field on average is better than they’ve ever been on road courses, and he still is a massive standout. I think he could beat anyone from any era at them with only Ambrose being.” Today’s Cup field, with Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson, is road-course savvy, yet SVG’s 2023 Chicago win and 2025 sweeps at Chicago and Mexico City show he’s a cut above. Dale Jarrett’s post-Chicago comment, “What Shane did, I don’t think anyone’s ever done, not at this level,” backs this up.

Although the Kiwi driver has a lot to learn in terms of polishing his oval craft, with the way he dominates on the road courses, he is the driver to beat. This is why fans believe that, regardless of the era, SVG would shine on the twists and turns, be it at Riverside or Chicago.