Shane van Gisbergen finally had the chance to celebrate a NASCAR Cup Series victory with his father Robert by his side, following a year marked by personal hardship.
The Watkins Glen win brought raw emotion from the Supercars champion-turned-NASCAR star, who spoke candidly while holding back tears about the challenges of being away from his dad, affectionately nicknamed “Cheese.”
In 2024, van Gisbergen’s mother, Karen Wallace, became ill. Combined with Robert’s own health battles, it meant he was unable to attend many races.
Karen sadly passed away during van Gisbergen’s debut NASCAR Xfinity Series season back in April, leading to a tribute on his #97 Kaulig Racing Camaro.
Van Gisbergen revealed that the past year had been especially tough on his father, who also lost his sister and mother within months.
“It’s been pretty difficult,” van Gisbergen said.
“He lost his wife, my mother, and then his sister and then his mum a month or so ago.
“It’s been a really rough run for Dad. It’s hard to support him when I’m on the other side of the world. That’s probably why I’m the most homesick.
“Then my sister has moved away as well, so he’s kind of by himself all of a sudden.
“I try and talk to him every day. To have him here, like he was almost in tears, too – it’s really special to share that because we’re a long way from home.”
Racing in the U.S. makes it difficult for the Kiwi to return to New Zealand as often as he did while competing in Supercars, where Robert was a regular presence in the paddock.
The pair will remain together over the next few weeks, travelling to Richmond and Daytona ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
With just two regular-season races remaining before the Round of 16, van Gisbergen is determined to close out strongly with his father trackside.
“It’s obviously something to dream about winning on an oval, and superspeedways, I’ve had some pretty good moments there,” he said.
“Last year, I think Talladega… Kaulig was a smaller team, and Dad was on the front row of the pit box, helping with the strategy or talking with Travis Mack on the strategy. You know, he loves it.
“I’d love to have a good result with him in the next couple of weeks.
“He’s driving the bus for me with his friend Jason to those races. I’ll probably drive to Daytona with them, and it’ll be a good time like we used to do.”
When asked when the reality of his latest victory would sink in, van Gisbergen laughed:
“It normally hits me on the plane ride home or 4am after a few beers,” he joked.
“I try to reflect on it, but I also try to get to the next week pretty quickly, as well. I’ll try not to tweet at 4am this morning.
“But I do nowadays, maybe I’m too old, or getting old, but I try and reflect and take in the moment a bit more. Today was really special.
I’ve never had my dog in Victory Lane before and my dad as well. He hasn’t been able to travel all year because he’s been sick.
“To have him here for the next three weeks and have a win with it, it’s just really cool to have that moment.”
The victory not only carried personal meaning but also set a new benchmark – the most NASCAR Cup Series wins in a rookie season.
“That’s why I moved here, and that’s why I guess Justin [Marks, Trackhouse Racing CEO] believed in me and he knew I could do this,” van Gisbergen said.
“I’ve changed my life to come and do this, and to come and make true of what everyone believed in me and to execute myself and get everything right, it’s why I go racing.
“As I said, sharing it with those people and seeing how much it means to the guys who work every week so hard on the car and their pit stops, yeah, it’s so cool. It means the world to everyone.
“Next week we’ll see the guys at the shop who did all the prep work, too, and I love the team environment, and it was a great day for the team. We had all three in the top 10 for the first time for Trackhouse. It’s huge.”
