In the NASCAR scene, certain races stand out for drivers as turning points that shadow even their biggest victories. That’s exactly what happened for Shane van Gisbergen at the Kansas Speedway. With Chase Elliott threading a win after a last-lap tangle between Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace, SVG’s story was another one that came under the spotlight. He crossed the line in a remarkable 10th place, his first-ever top-10 finish on an oval, one that left him “over the moon” in his post-race comments.

As a driver primarily known for dominating road courses, van Gisbergen’s performance on this 1.5-mile oval showed clear signs of adaptation after a season of ups and downs. His road course resume is a complete domination, winning four of the five so far, but ovals have been a tougher nut to crack. But with this milestone achievement, fans have started buzzing about the danger this could pose for the entire garage as he finds his rhythm.

Officially posted for the 24th, SVG faced an early setback when NASCAR hit his No. 88 Racing team with a stop-and-go penalty right after the green flag for unapproved adjustments discovered during inspection, which also led to crew chief Stephen Doran’s ejection. Despite dropping two laps down early and starting from the rear, van Gisbergen clawed back, getting the free pass under caution and using strategy to rejoin the lead lap.

This resilience came after a 2024 season where he balanced select Cup starts with a full-time Xfinity run, building on his background as a three-time Supercars champion. And his top-10 surpassed his prior best of 12th at Martinsville earlier in 2024 and P14s at Richmond and the Coke 600 the same year.

“It was really cool to get a top 10 finish at Kansas Speedway,” he said post-race. “It was good to do it in a Red Bull car. We’ve had some really cool partners this year and stoked to be able to do it here at Kansas Speedway.” This statement captures his excitement after a tough start, where he leaned on car speed to pass competitors methodically.

As he noted, “Well, we had speed. Once we got on equal tires and equal laps to people, I was able to tick people off and move around. I never had so much confidence to move around, so just a process of learning, and yeah, I’m getting better.” His progression stems from a deliberate shift to NASCAR in 2023, aiming to master ovals after road course success like Portland and Sonoma. If he keeps improving here, paired with that road prowess, he could become a serious championship contender, rattling established teams.

One fan summed it up perfectly: “SVG gonna be dangerous next year,” highlighting the growing emotion that van Gisbergen’s oval gains could make him a deadly force in the coming times. The Reddit community was lit up with more such reactions on his remarkable Kansas performance.

Fans react to Shane van Gisbergen’s rising threat

Echoing that buzz, a fan pointed out, “I said a while back that SVG would win an oval. I stand by that.” This confidence builds on van Gisbergen’s steady climb, from his initial Cup struggles on ovals, like a 35th at Daytona in 2024, to this Kansas breakthrough, where he outpaced teammates and held position in overtime. His background in diverse racing, including rally and GT events, gives him an edge in adaptability that fans see leading to that first oval victory soon.

Shifting to the race dynamics, it’s worth noting how van Gisbergen’s No. 88 Chevy improved lap by lap, as one observer remarked: “In a truly crazy plot twist, the 88 generally got faster as the race went along.” After the penalty dropped him back, he posted competitive lap times, moving from outside the top 30 to battling in the top 15 by the final stage, a testament to setup tweaks and his growing comfort on intermediates like Kansas.

Fans are already setting higher bars, with comments like, “A really solid step was made today. The next target will be an oval top 5 and some consistent top 10s. Hopefully this will come a little bit faster than the first top 10 did. Very encouraging for the 88 crew.” This reflects the patience in his transition, as it took 12 Cup oval starts in 2024 to hit this milestone, but with Trackhouse‘s resources and his Xfinity oval experience, like a 3rd at Atlanta in the earlier 2024 season, top-5s could follow quicker.

Looking ahead, the real worry for rivals comes through in reactions such as, “I mean, if he’s even competent on ovals in the future, he will be a danger as the road course dominance isn’t ending anytime soon.” Van Gisbergen’s almost-road sweep this year, winning four out of five so far, just adds more boost to this oval progress that he’s making one race at a time.

Wrapping up the chatter, one fan drew a bold comparison: “Dude is about to be the Alex Palou of NASCAR. That’s two weeks where he’s been a top ten car. Arguably top five last week before Keselowski took him out.” This nods to his strong Bristol run ending in 26th due to contact, followed by Kansas, mirroring Palou’s IndyCar versatility and suggesting van Gisbergen could dominate similarly with more oval polish.