“He was just way faster than we were… He’s just so far beyond all us on these tracks right now.” Kyle Larson, who finished second, admitted after the Charlotte Roval race, where Shane van Gisbergen pulled away to win by ~15 seconds while leading a race-high 57 laps. This marked SVG’s fifth consecutive road course victory in the Cup Series, bringing him one step closer to Jeff Gordon’s record of six straight wins from 1997 to 2000. While Larson’s praise is one thing, SVG’s own team owner, Justin Marks, couldn’t hold back on the No. 88 driver’s road course dominance.

As van Gisbergen has an absolutely dominating average of 1.8 seconds on the road courses in the 2025 season, Marks shared insights on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio into what makes SVG stand out. He said, “I think that he’s going when his time is done here in NASCAR, I think he’s going to have sort of unanimously be considered the greatest road racer that the sport’s ever seen.”

This bold claim comes from Marks’ own background in road racing, including time in the Rolex SportsCar Series, where he witnessed top talents but insists, “I’ve just never seen anybody like SVG. I just have never seen anybody like.” SVG‘s journey started with a stunning Cup debut win at the 2023 inaugural Chicago Street Race, where he held off Justin Haley by 1.259 seconds. His win became first such feat in the modern era since 1963, setting the stage for his full-time transition to Trackhouse Racing in 2025.

Backing Marks’ praise are SVG’s undeniable stats in the 2025 Cup Series road courses, where he claimed victories in five road courses. His active streak of five consecutive wins includes triumphs at Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, and the Roval, with leads in two-thirds of laps at many stops.

This dominance echoes his 2024 Xfinity stint with Kaulig Racing, where he notched three road wins at Portland, Sonoma, and Chicago, proving his quick adaptation from three Supercars titles in Australia. Marks also spotlighted the team’s role, noting, “The execution of the 88 team, recognizing that they’ve got somebody so special driving these race cars, to make sure that every T is crossed, every I is dotted.”

SVG echoed the sentiment after his Roval win, crediting the group’s cohesion: “You work with the engineers here and even the pit crew guys, we just had our pit crew meeting and, uh, Kimbrough, our tire carrier, had an issue. So, uh, we had Drew fill in last minute and just how the team rallies together and gets behind everyone.”

This highlights Trackhouse‘s support, from Marks’ family involvement to seamless adjustments, as SVG navigated early 2025 challenges like a Bristol elimination. His 33.3% career road course win rate ranks third all-time in Cup history as of July, paired with a 113.8 driver rating since 2005, underscoring why Marks sees him redefining the discipline.

While SVG’s road prowess steals headlines, his oval growth shows promise too. As the season winds down, he’s setting sights on super-speedways for that next milestone.

SVG targets Talladega for oval milestone

Shane van Gisbergen’s shift to NASCAR has shone brightest on roads, but ovals remain his growth area, with recent progress fueling optimism for tracks like Talladega. His first Cup top-10 on an oval came at Kansas in 2025 with a 10th-place finish, building confidence after earlier struggles. As a rookie in the No. 88, he’s out of title contention post-Round of 16, yet he focuses on consistent results in the final oval-heavy stretch.

Previewing the Round of 8 races on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, SVG shared, “Probably the mile and a halfs are the ones I’m still not the most comfortable with. So, hopefully, we keep building on Kansas at Vegas this week and keep learning there. But I enjoy the super speedways, but I haven’t got a good result there yet. So, hopefully I go good at Talladega and get a finish.”

This reflects his enjoyment of drafting tracks despite past finishes no higher than 15th at Talladega in 2024. His Martinsville 12th last year relied on strategy until a wheel issue, showing glimpses amid adaptation from Supercars.

SVG elaborated on super-speedway nuances: “I guess cause you got more of a downshift, and you got a bit more technique with your braking and how you can use your tools with the brake bias, the gear change and how you get the car into the corner. So you can kind of influence it a little more as a driver, unlike a big oval.”

With that, Las Vegas kicks off before Talladega and Martinsville lead to Phoenix. With no prior top finish at Vegas, SVG’s Kansas breakthrough offers a blueprint for turning enjoyment into results.