Despite the dominance that Shane van Gisbergen has shown on road courses since arriving in NASCAR in 2023, he was never really considered a proper threat when looking at the bigger picture. Most of the races on the schedule are held on ovals, and SVG was not particularly strong on those tracks. But what many failed to realize was that he was gaining valuable experience and improving with each passing race. Now, according to insider Doug Rice, he should no longer be regarded as just a road-course specialist.

“I thought SVG might be a one-trick pony. I think they’ve learned a second trick,” Rice said on the Fast Track podcast.

SVG moved to NASCAR from the Australian Supercars Championship, where he had already won three titles. The cars share some similarities with NASCAR’s Next Gen machinery, and the series primarily features road courses and street circuits, which helped make his transition to that side of NASCAR seamless.

In just his Cup Series debut, van Gisbergen won the Chicago Street Race, showing the garage that they were dealing with an extraordinary road-course talent. But when it came to ovals, the story was very different.

Through his first full Cup campaign in 2025, his performance was a tale of two entirely different worlds. He absolutely dominated the road courses with five victories, including Chicago and the Viva Mexico 250, but struggled for consistency on the oval tracks, where he managed just two top-10 finishes and posted an average finish of 22.8.

SVG’s sixth-place finish at Atlanta and 11th-place result at Phoenix raised many eyebrows around the garage. It showed that he was finally beginning to make real progress on ovals. Then came Nashville, where he finished fifth, for the best oval result of his Cup Series career.

So far, he has already won at Watkins Glen this season and is expected to be strong on the upcoming road courses as well. If he can keep putting together solid runs on the ovals, that could be all he needs under the Chase format to become a serious title contender. According to Doug Rice, that’s what makes him a lot more dangerous than before.

“That makes them dangerous,” he added. “That’s what everybody feared. If this guy gets to be competitive on the ovals, watch out. It seems to be the case. I’m not ready to christen him yet, but it’s getting a little bit closer to coronation.”

SVG’s Nashville performance was somewhat of a warning for those underestimating him. He even put his No. 97 car in the lead, holding the position for 12 laps, which is huge for someone who struggled to get his car into the top 20 just about a year ago.

There have been only four races out of the 14 so far this season in which the No. 97 team has found itself outside the top 10. And with the Chase drawing closer, Trackhouse seems quite sure about where SVG is headed.

Could Shane van Gisbergen compete for the Cup Series Championship?

There are still two road course races remaining, and both of them are scheduled for June.

As NASCAR heads to Michigan and Pocono, all Shane van Gisbergen has to do is keep up the top-10 performances he has been putting together this season. Then, with the races at Naval Base Coronado and Sonoma on the horizon, he’ll have two of his strongest opportunities to add to his win tally.

“This is what we need to do with all the ovals,” SVG’s Crew Chief Steve Doran told the media after the Nashville race. “Top 10s are now the benchmark for us to be satisfied with. I think we can do it in the next two, and then we’ve got two road courses after that.”

Considering the Chase format, Van Gisbergen already managed to move up two spots in the standings after the Nashville race. Placed in 12 right now, he is well in a position to contend for the championship, or at least make the cut for the Chase.

If the conditions remain ideal for him heading into the two road course races back to back, he could become one of the only drivers this season to have won multiple races, giving him the edge over the other drivers.

But again, this would require consistent finishes in the oval races as well, which, as Doug Rice claimed, he is now becoming accustomed to. So, it wouldn’t be too surprising if he does become a strong contender for the title this season, even though winning it would be a whole different challenge for him.