Shane van Gisbergen has established an almost unfair reputation since making his NASCAR debut at the Chicago Street Course in 2023. He has won six of his previous seven road-course events and is currently tied for the most road-course victories among current Cup drivers. Thus, a large portion of the community has already declared SVG to be the clear favorite as NASCAR prepares for its inaugural race at Naval Base Coronado. However, SVG doesn’t agree with that story.

For someone who has dominated road courses the way Shane van Gisbergen has since arriving in NASCAR, it would’ve been easy to lean into the hype. Instead, as seen during the NASCAR San Diego pre-race press conference, he pushed back.

“It pisses me off a bit. Like, I feel like it disrespects my competition.” SVG told the media. “I hold my competition in, I think they’re really high level. So I feel like I’ve spent the last little while talking myself down because I know that there’s 10 guys probably that can win on pure pace. And in NASCAR, so much stuff can happen with strategies and stages that there’s even more guys who can win. So I don’t think it’s gonna be easy, that’s for sure.”

Expectations were not the source of SVG’s annoyance. It had to do with the presumption that everyone else in the garage was just there to compete for second place. It’s not difficult to understand what he’s saying. Let’s start with Chase Elliott.

With seven victories, the Hendrick Motorsports star is tied with Van Gisbergen for the most road-course wins among active drivers in the Cup Series. He has built a strong reputation through years of outstanding work on complex layouts. Elliott has consistently demonstrated why road racing is one of his stronger disciplines, whether it’s braking zones, tire management, or placement over lengthy green-flag runs.

Then there’s Tyler Reddick. If there’s anyone in the current field who drivers consistently mention as a threat on road and street circuits, and given his 2026 season performance, it’s Reddick. He has demonstrated that he can combine raw pace with strategic execution with four road/street-course triumphs and a 2026 victory at the Circuit of the Americas, after starting from pole, one of NASCAR’s most complex locations.

And the next wave is on its way. Due to his background in road racing, Connor Zilisch had high hopes going into the Cup Series. Even though his season hasn’t taken off as many had hoped, teams and oddsmakers continue to view him as a danger every time NASCAR takes more than a left turn.

And all that’s before SVG made it clear that NASCAR isn’t only about speed. Fast cars lose all the time. Stage cautions flip track position. Pit strategy rearranges competitors. An entire day’s lead may be lost in a matter of minutes due to a poorly timed caution, fuel gamble, late restart, or tire call. There are several races in NASCAR history when the fastest driver never made it to Victory Lane.

SVG isn’t calling himself an underdog. He is just refusing to act as though the outcome has already been determined. Both the caliber of the competition and the unpredictable nature of NASCAR racing are ignored if he is declared the winner before the weekend even starts. And on that point, SVG may be more right than anyone giving him the favorite tag.