It is one thing to win a race, but winning it by a 15.160-second margin while leading a race-high 57 laps? That is something! And yes, we are talking about the one driver who has been dominating the road course this season: Shane van Gisbergen. The Cup Series rookie this past weekend bagged his fifth consecutive road course victory, and now, he is just one victory short of equaling Jeff Gordon’s record of 6 consecutive road course wins between 1997 and 2000. So, what’s the road ahead for the New Zealander?

After the 109 laps of the Bank of America ROVAL 400, the Cup garage is heading to superspeedways. And chances are, SVG will find it challenging. But the three-time Supercars champion isn’t one to give up. Speaking on the Dale Junior Download, SVG said, “I don’t know. It’s a pretty big contrast of tracks, isn’t it? Probably the mile and a halfs are the ones I’m still not the most comfortable with. So, hopefully, we keep building on Kansas at Vegas this week and keep learning there. But, um, yeah, I enjoy the superspeedways, but I haven’t got a good result there yet. So, hopefully, I go good at Talladega and get a finish, you know. So, yeah, we’ll see.”  

Coming off his Kansas top 10 finish. SVG is just getting better and better. Despite facing a challenging start due to a pre-race penalty for an unapproved adjustment made to his Chevrolet that sent him to the rear of the field, the 36-year-old demonstrated skill. He managed to overcome a two-lap deficit, and aided by strategic adjustments and a strong performance in the closing laps, he achieved his best-ever finish on an oval.

But this is the first time Shane van Gisbergen has scored well on an oval. Last year, in his first-ever Cup Series start with Kaulig Racing at Martinsville, SVG delivered his best career finish. After 500 laps, the Kiwi finished on the lead lap and 12th. It was his first Cup race on a short track and his fourth non-superspeedway oval race as a Cup Series driver.

Revealing his understanding of the track experience, SVG said, ” Yeah, I guess ’cause you got more of a downshift and you know you got bit more technique with your braking and how you can use your tools with the brake bias… unlike a big oval. Um, but yeah, still pretty difficult… I got a decent result there last year. I think I got a 12th with some strategy, and we did a pace last year, but then a wheel fell off. Sorry. The start of this year. That wasn’t good. But yeah, it’s a crazy race. I enjoy racing there until the end of the stages or the end of the race, when everyone just loses their minds. But in the normal racing, I find it a really fun track.” 

However, this year, racing for Trackhouse, the No. 88 driver had a challenging outing. The incident occurred after a pit stop on lap 273 when the tire detached, bringing out the race’s fifth caution. This mishap led to a mandatory two-lap penalty and additional delays for repairs, causing SVG to fall multiple laps down and ultimately finish 34th.

But with SVG’s current success on the road courses, securing 5 wins and showing a standout performance at the Charlotte Roval, the 36-year-old knows what is at stake, and now even Trackhouse Racing’s team owner is sounding off on the improvements on ovals.

Justin Marks believes SVG could be dangerous amid NASCAR oval development

SVG is not even two years into racing ovals in his life, and the fact that he went to Kansas and scored a top 10 finish proves that there is no stopping him now. Trackhouse Racing’s team owner, Justin Marks, also envisions a promising future for the Kiwi’s rivals. He said, “That’s why we signed him to a multi-year deal like we did, because we know that they will come. The fact that he’s so quickly already starting to find his way into the top 10 on the ovals, I think that there’s a very, very high ceiling there that can make him remarkably dangerous.”

Even though SVG’s playoff hopes got dashed in the mud after the Round of 16, he is proving that his NASCAR journey isn’t just a crossover; it’s an evolution in progress. The learning curve may be steep, but his focus and adaptability are narrowing the gap faster than anyone imagined. As the season winds down, one thing remains clear: SVG is here for more than a few road course cameos; he is laying the groundwork to become a true all-rounder in NASCAR, one oval at a time.