From street sweeps to pavement push, Shane van Gisbergen’s 2025 motorsport odyssey has been nothing short of electric. In his first full season in NASCAR’s top two divisions, SVG has made waves in both the Cup and Xfinity Series. On the road course, he seized back-to-back wins in Chicago and Sonoma, completing a legendary weekend sweep in Chicago. He dominated both series from the pole and held off challengers like Connor Zilisch for the Xfinity victory and then powered to victory in Cup as well. Amid the chaos behind, SVG remained the calm at the storm’s center, in restarts, fearless in traffic, and unfazed by the pressure. But as the season progressed, whispers about how he would adapt to ovals began to swirl. But he proved the speculations wrong.

Following his road course dominance, NASCAR veterans and insiders cautioned competitors to keep a close eye on SVG’s rising talent. Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour co-host Mamba Smith posted on X, stating, “Don’t let @shanevg97 get comfortable on ovals. Lotta folks are going to have to walk back their takes…” And the Trackhouse Racing star did exactly that. This week at Charlotte, SVG returned to hard-knock asphalt with a heavy dose of anticipation. He earned his first-ever American oval victory in dramatic fashion during the Pro Legends A-Feature of the Cook Out Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway. After qualifying third, SVG methodically sliced through the field over the 25-lap race, making a decisive move for the lead with 14 laps remaining, ultimately prevailing over Jake Bollman by a razor-thin 0.417 seconds at the finish. Hinting at yet another progress ahead of the Iowa weekend.

From road course dominance to oval progression

As a formidable Supercars champion making his transition to the American oval, every nuance of a new track in a different machine presents a steep learning curve. “I haven’t raced here in a cup car so I don’t really know what to expect and this practice will be good to go feel it,” he said , talking about his experience at Iowa Speedway. “I had speed here in Xfinity especially in practice but then in the backup car I made a mistake in practice so, gotta just try and have a good run today and make sure we’re in a good spot starting tomorrow.” Even during Iowa’s practice, Chase Briscoe captured pole in 23.004 seconds while Kyle Larson and William Byron hovered within 0.5 mph, underscoring the tight margins required to adapt. SVG’s error in that environment reflects a learning curve many rookie drivers endure, where one lap can define setup direction.

After qualifying 11th at Indianapolis last weekend and securing a Legends Car win at Charlotte, SVG reflected on his oval progress since the start of the year. “Leaps and bounds ahead of where I was but I still have a lot to learn and gain and I feel like every week we are doing that so, it’s been some good progress,” said the 36-year-old veteran. “Doesn’t sound like much to win at a legends race but it was huge for me. It was a lot of fun those 10 weeks and just to win a race after where we started is great.” At Charlotte Summer Shootout, he converted a third-place qualifying spot into a lead-taking pass on Lap 12 of 25 and held off competitor Jake Bollman with ease. That winning margin over a stacked A-Feature field, including Bubba Wallace and a 13-year-old prodigy Keelan Harvick, marked a breakthrough in mastering pace consistency on pavement short tracks.

His post-race comments also summed up the achievement succinctly. “It’s just time turning left for me, it’s what I need.” The win not only served as a personal milestone but also a key learning experience, hinting at future oval progress at NASCAR’s higher levels. But the current practice sessions at Iowa have not been any less challenging for SVG. “I love the practices where we’ve been getting extra sets of tires and just more laps, and it makes a big gain you go out get a feel for it learn what you want put another set on and go so I’ve always been going good at those ovals so, I’d be an advocate for more practice,” he said. SVG has flagged a lack of extended seat time as the biggest barrier in adapting to Cup-style cars, noting that he normally thrives when allowed multiple runs and tire sets to learn the surface nuances.

When asked about his competition with Connor Zilisch at Watkins Glen, SVG hoped for the best for both. “I just hope we’re fast,” he said. “We got four good road course guys next week and I’m sure Connor will be up the front but hopefully our cars are good again and it’s one of us battling for it yeah.” The 19-year-old prodigy has already amassed 4 wins this season and posted 3 finishes of P5 or better over his last eight races. Their internal rivalry deepened after Chris Buescher edged out SVG in that same Watkins Glen weekend, a race where the former classified sixth following a late-race crash.

SVG’s measure of optimism reflects the stakes: with four road course specialists vying for victory next Sunday, he hopes Trackhouse can deliver fast equipment and turn it into a win.

How NASCAR rekindled Shane van Gisbergen’s racing passion

SVG’s leap from Australian Supercars to NASCAR has been nothing short of transformative. The three-time Supercars champion and Bathurst 1000 winner arrived in the U.S. seeking new challenges, and found them. Within his first full seasons in Xfinity and Cup, he became a dominant road and street course force, delivering wins in Chicago and Mexico City with a blend of precision and aggression that has captivated fans nationwide.

His move was as much about personal renewal as professional ambition. Disillusioned with the direction of Supercars and nearly quitting in 2012, SVG reignited his career with Tekno Autosports before rising to Triple Eight and claiming three championships. In his own words, NASCAR “changed my life,” offering a fresh spark after he had begun to “hate racing in Australia.” That spark has since turned into a blaze, and competitors have taken notice.

SVG’s pole-to-pole weekend sweep in Chicago placed him alongside Kyle Busch in NASCAR history, becoming just the second driver to win both Cup and Xfinity races from the pole at the same track. With Kevin Harvick also calling him a “road racing god,” and his recent Legends car win at Charlotte, he has cleared all doubts about his ability to deliver the best performance at any venue.