Shane Van Gisbergen Shares Story Behind His ‘Best Friend’s’ Move to U.S. and Quirky Name

For racers, standing on Victory Lane is a breathtaking experience. Hence, they try to make it as memorable and enjoyable as possible. From showering in colorful confetti to spraying their teammates with champagne, drivers celebrate in many ways after winning a race. After clinching the Watkins Glen trophy on Sunday, Shane van Gisbergen had his whole family present to make it special. And a big part of his family was his ‘best friend.’

The Trackhouse Racing speedster led for 38 laps and beat Christopher Bell by 11.1 seconds at the finishing line. To mark his season’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory, SVG’s father, Robert van Gisbergen, and wife, Jessica Dane, were present. Beside them was Ronald, the pet dog without whom SVG could not imagine a life in the US.

Shane van Gisbergen reveals his loved one’s journey

Bringing one’s dog to the racetrack is nothing new in NASCAR. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. brought his wife’s dog to the 2023 Daytona 500 win, and Alex Bowman brought his dog Roscoe to Victory Lane at Daytona. Bowman currently has three dogs: a golden retriever, Huck, a Labrador called Finn, and a golden doodle named Merle. Then, Erik Jones’s 8-year-old German Shepherd Oscar frequently accompanies him to the racetrack. Similarly, Shane van Gisbergen also has his own furry friends. They are a Rhodesian Ridgeback called Ronald and an Australian Red Heeler, Steve. SVG had a special story to share about Ronald recently.

In a recent interview with Shannon Spake on NASCAR, Shane van Gisbergen divulged the long journey of Ronald. He and his partner, Jessica Dane, never left him behind. “We got him at the start of 2023 in Australia…He was 5 or 6 months old when we got him, and yeah, we were looking to get a dog for a while. We didn’t plan to move to the States at that point. So yeah, got him and then we loved him. Thought we can’t leave him behind, so we brought him with us. Yeah, he’s an amazing dog. He’s almost three now…yeah, really cool.” 

While recounting Ronald’s adventurous story, Shane van Gisbergen also slipped out that he got married to Jessica Dane. The duo had been dating since 2022, when SVG drove for Triple Eight Race Engineering in Supercars and Dane was a stakeholder in the team. Since SVG prefers to keep his personal life private, this unexpected slip-up came as a surprise. SVG continued about Jessica’s naming habits: “Jessica, my wife, she seems to have a thing for human names. All our animals seem to have human names. So, it is pretty funny yelling out, but yeah, suits them.”

Clearly, Shane van Gisbergen’s household is vibrant and happy, and that is helping him immensely. What is also helping him is having his greater family by his side.

The nickname we did not expect

For somebody with a towering stature like Shane van Gisbergen, you would expect a corresponding name. That is why the Kiwi speedster’s father, Robert van Gisbergen, caught us by surprise when he referred to his son by a unique name. The Auckland, New Zealand native has been a mainstay in SVG’s motorsports upbringing, having mentored him through his Supercars journey. So Robert was talking about his son’s shift to the US and first full-time Cup Series season when he slipped out his cute nickname: “Cheese”. SVG’s father said, “He’s quite loving it here, so I’d say he’d be here for a while.”

Robert van Gisbergen’s presence was more significant due to another, heartbreaking reason. Having lost his wife, his sister, and his mother in the past two years, things were rough for SVG’s father. Hence, having him over during a NASCAR Cup Series victory was emotional for Shane. Robert reflected on the ethereal experience in Watkins Glen: “Well, I was pretty impressed in Chicago a couple of years ago, but this is pretty cool. And I was very impressed. Impressed with the team, impressed with everything, impressed with the place, actually. It’s quite stunning. It’s the first time here for me.”

Both his Cup Series success and the presence of his loved ones are helping Shane van Gisbergen move ahead from the past. Let us wait and see what the Kiwi speedster has in store for us next.