One of the best parts of NASCAR is watching the unexpected underdog make significant progress, yet does it in a workmanlike, non-flashy manner.

So, we’re going to give you a quick test – and no peeking for the answers (or using AI, for that matter!).

Sunday’s Cookout 400 at Martinsville Speedway was yet another big step in the progress of one particular NASCAR Cup driver. While everyone else has spent the last seven races focusing on guys like four-time winner Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, and now Chase Elliott, there’s one guy who is being completely overlooked.

And while most of you likely won’t be excited about a driver finishing 11, in Sunday’s case, that IS big news – and a continuation of progress for a driver many claimed didn’t have what it takes to have success on an oval-based series.

I’ll give you a BIG hint here: in 57 career Cup starts, he’s won six times – but all six of those wins have come on his specialty, namely twisting road courses. But since the start of the 2026 NASCAR Cup season more than a month and a half ago, we’re seeing some significant improvement from a driver who hasn’t received the recognition he deserves.

We’re talking about, of course, the pride and joy of Auckland, New Zealand, one Shane van Gisbergen.

While many fellow drivers, fans, media, and other observers focused on Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin battling for Sunday’s win, SVG merrily continued his transition from king of the road courses to hopefully becoming a decent oval driver, as well.

Yes, it’s taken a long time for the Kiwi to get the hang of ovals, but where there once was significant doubt that he would ever master ovals, SVG has been quietly building up his oval track resume.

Why his season record thus far matters

In the season’s first seven races, van Gisbergen has five finishes of 14 or better. Big whoop, you might say.

But indulge me when I say this: of those five top-14 finishes, SVG has earned four on ovals: sixth at Atlanta, 11 at Phoenix and Martinsville, and 14 last week at Darlington.

And after starting the season 27 in the standings, then jumped up to fifth after his runner-up showing at Circuit of the Americas before falling back to 16 after Las Vegas, van Gisbergen is now up to 14 in the Cup standings.

That’s higher than Daniel Suárez, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and even two-time Cup champ Kyle Busch.

Sure, SVG’s second-place finish at COTA, and given his supremacy on road courses, that part is not surprising. But the improvement on ovals that he’s displayed thus far this season is undeniable – even if it hasn’t made major news in the series.

But I can guarantee you that it’s definitely big news in the No. 97 Chevrolet’s camp. Not only is van Gisbergen showing more confidence and aggressiveness on roundy-round tracks, but his team is also showing better strength and cohesiveness.

And as an added bonus, on Saturday at Martinsville, van Gisbergen recorded his best qualifying effort on an oval since he first flew across the Pacific Ocean to seek fame and fortune in NASCAR: fifth on the gritty half-mile Martinsville bullring.

The harder he tries, the better he becomes — even if it’s at a slow pace

When you’re raised on road courses, it’s oftentimes difficult to make the crossover to circle track racing, especially when you’re only turning left – and not turning right and left as he does on road and street courses.

I have to admit, I’m bullish on SVG’s future in NASCAR. But I also admit I wasn’t always of that frame of mind. I was among the many who were non-believers that he could make the switch to oval success.

Sure, he could kick everyone’s butt on a road course, but ovals are NASCAR’s bread-and-butter, and if van Gisbergen never was able to get used to them, it’s pretty evident that he’d never become a NASCAR champion if that meant running 30 or so ovals in a regular season.

Even though he turns 37 on May 9, there’s still plenty of time for SVG to improve even more with each passing race and each passing season.

While it may still seem unlikely that van Gisbergen will win a Cup championship, at least now he’s showing there’s at least potential to be part of the conversation.

Granted, his progress on ovals has been slower than many expected or anticipated, most notably van Gisbergen himself and his bosses at Trackhouse Racing.

But after gloomy finishes during most of his other oval races in his first 1 ½ full-time seasons, there’s actually now some sunshine that is starting to break through the clouds.

Sure, there’s still a ways to go, but pessimism that others may have felt is slowly but surely turning into at least cautious optimism.

Tracking his improvement, particularly between 11th and 15th

Consider this: in his 57 Cup starts to date, van Gisbergen has six wins, eight top five, and 13 top 10 finishes. But there’s a big caveat to those numbers, particularly the 13 top-10s: only two have been on ovals, 10 at Kansas in last fall’s playoff race and sixth this spring at Atlanta.

Now, let’s look at exclusively oval finishes from 11 to 15, and that’s where you see the kind of improvement I’m talking about.

* Fall 2024 race at Talladega: 15

* Fall 2024 race at Martinsville: 12

* Spring 2025 race at Charlotte: 14

* Late Summer 2025 race at Richmond: 14

* Last fall’s playoff race at Talladega: 11

* Last fall’s playoff race at Martinsville: 14

* As well as this season’s afore-mentioned 11 at Phoenix, 14 last Sunday at Darlington and 11 once again Sunday at Martinsville.

Again, those are incremental steps – but steps forward nonetheless.

“Ran in the top 10 all day but lacked overall grip and wasn’t able to hold position on the restarts,” SVG said about his performance Sunday at Martinsville. “The 97 team brought a fast SuperFile Chevrolet, just wish we could’ve gotten a top 10 result. Collected some stage points and had a lot of fun! Great progress heading into the off-weekend.”

You can actually compare SVG somewhat with Michael Jordan!

In a sense, and I know this is like comparing apples and oranges, but I liken SVG’s development to the one year Michael Jordan played minor league baseball. At first, MJ couldn’t hit a curveball or slider for the life of him.

But after extensive batting practice and instruction, he was able to lift his season batting average to .202 (okay, it was still paltry, but it was better than the .150 he had been hitting earlier in the season).

Will SVG eventually become a Cup champion? I won’t go that far – unless, of course, the last several races of each season were on road courses – which we all know will never happen.

But I definitely see improvement in van Gisbergen, and we’re going to likely see even more improvement with each passing race. He may even manage to put it all together and win a race on an oval, most likely a short track, with the top candidates being Martinsville, Bristol, Richmond, Phoenix or New Hampshire.

He’s come a long way since his first Cup race nearly three years ago (he won the inaugural Chicago street race).

And by the time he calls it a career several years from now, I won’t be surprised if his last race is also a win – and this time one of what will hopefully be the last of several career wins on an oval.