Shane van Gisbergen has come a long way from a distant country to do one thing: win races. The Kiwi had already stamped himself as a brilliant driver, securing 80 wins in Supercars. But he wasn’t satiated, as he aimed to explore racing in the land of opportunities. And Trackhouse Racing’s team owner was there to boost his engines.

Gisbergen stunned the NASCAR community when he won his Cup debut race in July last year. Posing beside the trophy at the Chicago street race, Gisbergen scripted history. As a result, Trackhouse owner Justin Marks may have already visualized a glittering future for the Kiwi, as the latter recently confirmed.

The sky is the limit for Shane van Gisbergen

When Shane van Gisbergen saw 2007 F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen drive for Trackhouse’s Project 91 program, he shifted his trajectory towards NASCAR. And the rest was history. The three-time Supercars champion won at Chicago, becoming the first driver to win on his Cup Series debut since Johnny Rutherford at Daytona in 1963. That was just the beginning. 

Trackhouse Racing subsequently signed him up for a development program deal driving in all three national series. Justin Marks envisioned a whole career of opportunities for Gisbergen, starting with a full Xfinity Series season with Kaulig Racing in 2024. Recently, in an appearance on the Rubbin’ Is Racing podcast, Shane van Gisbergen added an element of mystery about his boss, saying, “I’m sure he’s got something in mind that I need to achieve [this season], but he hasn’t let me know yet.” Yet his bigger aspirations are crystal clear.

“I haven’t put too many pressures on me for results,” revealed SVG. “That’s why I’m in the Xfinity Series this year, to learn for the Cup Series next year. Just all about learning and getting better and doing it a little more under the radar in Xfinity, I guess.” When asked about a possible Cup timeline next year, he said, “Well, it’s not a done deal yet. But that’s kind of what I’ve been told, and that’s why I’ve moved here, to be in the Cup Series.” Interestingly, the deal he signed with Trackhouse Racing included seven Cup Series appearances this season, the first of which came at COTA. 

On double duty in Austin, Texas, his Xfinity race unfolded almost like his Cup Series debut from July 2023. However, he missed out on his first Xfinity win after being penalized for shortcutting, demoting him to 27th place. As for his Cup Series outing, he started in 12th place. But speeding in the pit road in Stage 2, followed by the #12 losing its first gear in the final stage, ensured a 21st-place finish. But as the New Zealand native said, “It’s something different every week. I’m learning so much.”

Coming back to the podcast, Gisbergen talked about how he finds the cars and how Marks pushes him to improve on the race tracks. “They’re pretty wild machines. Then driving the Cup cars the next day, they’re proper race cars as well, well designed and kind of more for those tracks. So I feel more comfortable in that. But they just wanted me to go out and get experience, try and get better every week.” As for his expectations, SVG added, “I’m sure later in the year, I’ll have a bit more pressure to get results, especially on the oval stuff. For now, it’s just about adapting and fitting in”.

Justin Marks himself stated his plan for the Kiwi driver when Shane van Gisbergen was first signed with Trackhouse.

Justin Marks wanted SVG to train hard

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Shane van Gisbergen’s victory at Chicago was a rare phenomenon. Other international drivers like Marcos Ambrose and Dario Franchetti could not leave a lasting mark. Yet the new foreign face seems to be reigning the show with amazing prowess behind the wheel. Justin Marks admitted last year, “He’s just really, really good. When he goes through the learning process on an oval, I think he’ll get really quickly up to speed.”

Later, Marks revealed that the development program for SVG “will be about getting him acclimated to oval-track racing, superspeedways, 1.5-mile tracks, and everything he has never experienced in his career.” Explaining his side of the story – about making it to NASCAR – Gisbergen said, “There has been a lot of hard work to get to this point, and I could not be happier to know that I get to race for an Xfinity Series championship and then get a proper go at the Cup Series on road courses and ovals.”

Given Shane van Gisbergen’s stellar record so far, it won’t be surprising if he steals more victories in a possible full-time Cup season. His next Cup Series appearance will come in NASCAR’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, on May 26.

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