“These races are like a holiday to me,” said Shane van Gisbergen after his 2nd Cup Series triumph in Chicago this past Sunday. The Kiwi is becoming a real force to be reckoned with, as he swept both poles and both races, becoming only the second driver in NASCAR history, after Kyle Busch, to do so. Even though other Cup Series drivers have raised their game since SVG’s debut win at ‘The Windy City’ back in 2023, the 36-year-old remains in a class of his own, with plenty left in reserve to push the limits even more.

And Trackhouse Racing’s owner is beyond impressed. Justin Marks couldn’t help but praise the three-time Supercars Champion and shared a bold claim after his dominant performances at the 2.2-mile street course.

Shane van Gisbergen’s road course dominance is unquestionable

Shane van Gisbergen is the man to beat. While calling him a championship threat might be a bit premature, unless he significantly improves on oval tracks, he is arguably the strongest road/street course driver in the Cup Series field. Other drivers already know that they’ll have to outperform the Kiwi racer six times a season on road courses if they want to stand a chance at getting a win, and with Round 2 of the Cup playoffs featuring a road course, the Auckland native might realistically make it to the final eight.

And Justin Marks couldn’t help but sing praises for his driver. The Trackhouse Racing team owner said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “We just all kind of turn into fans, honestly, when he’s (SVG) out there doing his thing because we all just sit back in awe and just watch him. It’s really unlike anything anybody in the sport has ever seen on the road courses in a while. I just think we’re witnessing greatness. When Shane’s time in NASCAR is over, I think he will stand alone on the top of the mountain as the greatest road course racer that’s ever shown up in this series in 75 years.”

It can be argued that Shane van Gisbergen is the greatest stock car road racer ever. The veteran has won seven of his 16 career starts on those tracks between the Cup and Xfinity Series, highlighting his sheer dominance. Crew chief Stephen Doran compared him to a “machine” and said, “His laps are so consistent, and that’s part of why he saves his tires so well.” It’s the little things that prove to be the difference-makers at such venues. One of the best examples is the Cup Series race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

NASCAR went south of the border for its first points-paying race since 1958, and the high-altitude venue was going to level the playing field to some extent. But not only did Shane van Gisbergen qualify on the pole, he also won the race with a margin of 16.567 seconds. If that’s not dominance, what is? To add to that, he did it while he was severely unwell, suffering a stomach bug ahead of the race. After winning, SVG jokingly admitted, “I was leaking out of both holes.”

With the race in Sonoma on the horizon, SVG has the unique opportunity to tie for the series lead in wins for this year. But will that be enough to lift the Bill France Cup later this year? Well, that depends on his oval racing progress.

Justin Marks sees room for improvement

Trackhouse Racing couldn’t have asked for more from Shane van Gisbergen. When they offered him a full-time seat ahead of the 2025 season, Justin Marks knew that the 36-year-old’s best chance of making it to the playoffs was through road course races. That prediction came true after the dominant win in Mexico City, followed by a street course win in Chicago. But his performances on ovals have left a lot to be desired, an aspect of his racecraft that has room for improvement. However, Marks is optimistic that SVG will continue to improve.

The team owner said, “For his level of intelligence and how he studies and how he adapts and how he learns, there’s a real opportunity here for him to figure the ovals out and get fast at the ovals and to be a complete Cup driver. I think we’ve seen him coming that way just in the last month and a half. He’s pretty consistently top 20 now on the ovals when he started running kind of like 30, 32nd. I think that that development is just going to continue.”

SVG’s oval performances have seen the uptick that Marks is speaking of. At the grueling Coca-Cola 600, Shane managed to stay in the top-20 for most of the race, eventually landing himself an oval career-best 18th place finish. He even spoke about his progress while in conversation with Kevin Harvick following his win in Mexico City, saying, “We’ve gone from running in the 30s to being p—- off with an 18th.” 

Over the years, NASCAR has seen some real road-course experts such as Marcos Ambrose, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Robby Gordon, but it’s fair to say that Shane van Gisbergen tops them all. But now it’s time for the Auckland native to conquer ovals as well. That would potentially make him a title favorite, one who could finally end Team Penske’s dominance in the Next-Gen era. But there’s work to be done, and Trackhouse Racing will leave no stone unturned to help their driver improve. Do you see SVG improving enough on ovals to mount a title challenge? Let us know in the comments!