Coming into 2026, we are seeing a different Shane van Gisbergen. The Kiwi has surely done something right this offseason, as his performance on ovals is noteworthy every race. And the latest race at Phoenix also continued showing the alternate side of the Trackhouse Racing driver, which baffled the fans, to say the least.

Shane van Gisbergen’s improving oval game

In fact, the road course king didn’t win at COTA, where he was expected to. But his significant improvement on ovals just cannot be ignored. SVG started it all by leading laps at the Daytona 500.

Then, he carried forward his form at Atlanta, where the Trackhouse Racing man found his best-ever result at an oval track — sixth!

Going by statistics, the New Zealand driver has racked up six top 15 finishes in 14 oval starts since the Richmond Cup Series race last year. Besides the wrecks that ruined his run, SVG has also looked strong in races, finishing in the top 15 or 20.

When SVG secured his first career top 10 at the oval at Kansas last year, that was regarded as the lightbulb moment for his oval development. Following this, he recorded three back-to-back 14th-place finishes at ovals in 2025.

Coming into this year, SVG posed more threats to his rivals as he finished 11th in Phoenix. Currently, he has a 12.3 average finish in the first four races with just one road course, something that wasn’t thinkable.

With a superior Trackhouse Racing car this season, which was not the case last year, there are chances that the #97 driver can pick up multiple oval race points, and a win doesn’t feel impossible now.

Together with improved oval performances and his edge at road courses, which he has shown at COTA a week back, Shane Van Gisbergen can be a real threat to rivals, that too right in his second season as a full-time driver. And this was something the fans did not see coming.

Fans shared reactions as Shane van Gisbergen baffled them

Reacting to Shane van Gisbergen’s recent oval improvement, a fan wrote, “Man, if he can stop getting spun out twice a race, he might win an oval soon. Almost got another top 10.” With this, he tried to focus on how SVG often spins out or gets wrecked. If he can avoid this, one day he will claim an oval win.

Another fan wrote, “SVG has ran pretty well on ovals dating back to just before the playoffs last year. He has 6 top 15 finishes in 14 oval starts since Richmond 2025. Also a 16th at Daytona. If he can start turning top 15s into top 10s and top 20s into top 15s he will be a threat all season.” The fan shed light on SVG’s recent statistics at NASCAR ovals, where he showed impressive performances since the Richmond race last year.

Another fan wrote, “There’s still some way to go for him to truly challenge the Bells and the Blaneys at the very front of the field, but he’s definitely a solid top 20 driver on ovals now. A far cry from the first half of last year where he was qualifying and running in the 30ths.” Here, the fan meant that SVG has yet to match the likes of Christopher Bell or Ryan Blaney, drivers who are known for their exceptional skills at oval tracks, but also stated that he was improving.

A fan wrote, “I’ve been saying for over a year that the car was a big part of why he struggled. Now that Trackhouse has a better car, he can show his real talent. And learning in a weaker car was probably a crucible that sped up his learning.” With this, he shed light on how SVG has spearheaded the Trackhouse Racing team this season.

Another fan wrote, “I just saw that he spun out twice and still finished 11th? That’s an elite race craft. Without him Trackhouse would be invisible.” The fan wanted to portray how SVG managed to grab 11th place finish at Phoenix despite spinning twice.

With that said, it is visible how Shane van Gisbergen has improved his race craft, and can no longer be said that road courses are his only strong point in a few months’ time. It will be interesting to see when the Trackhouse man finally gets his first oval victory.