Shane van Gisbergen will line up at the Charlotte ROVAL this weekend as the driver most expected to take victory, with the Kiwi arriving fresh off his best NASCAR Cup Series oval result yet.
The three-time Supercars champion has already turned heads in his rookie campaign with Trackhouse Racing, dominating the road and street courses in 2025.
After finishing sixth at Circuit of the Americas early in the year, he went on a remarkable run of four consecutive road-course victories — winning in Mexico, Chicago, Sonoma, and Watkins Glen, a streak that firmly cemented him as the sport’s new road course benchmark.
Van Gisbergen’s progress hasn’t been limited to the turns and chicanes. Last weekend at Kansas Speedway, he delivered his best performance on an oval so far, charging from the back of the field to finish 10th despite a rough start to the Hollywood Casino 400.
His #88 team was forced to serve a stop-and-go penalty on lap one, and he even went a lap down, but a strong recovery drive secured his first-ever top-10 on an oval.
“It was awesome to finally get that result,” van Gisbergen said.
“We had to fight from the back and go a lap down early, but the car was great, and it gave me the confidence to push as the race went on. Really proud of the guys for giving me what I needed — we’re getting better every week on these ovals.”
Among those impressed was Cup veteran Denny Hamlin, who narrowly missed victory himself in Kansas after a last-lap clash with Bubba Wallace allowed Chase Elliott to steal the win. Speaking on his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin praised the Kiwis’ adaptability:
“You’ve got to start somewhere, and he’s clearly stepping up his game on ovals,” Hamlin said.
“For him and Justin Marks’ team, the long-term goal has to be the complete package. Great drivers always find a way, and SVG is proving he can learn and succeed in whatever he’s put in.”
Van Gisbergen’s former Kaulig Racing teammate, AJ Allmendinger, also offered insight into what makes him such a force on road courses.
With three Cup road wins of his own, including last year’s ROVAL, Allmendinger knows the craft — and he believes SVG’s biggest weapon is tyre management.
“If you watch his in-car, it doesn’t look spectacular, but he’s just not overworking the tyre,” Allmendinger explained on the Door Bumper Clear podcast.
“That comes from Supercars. He carries speed without abusing the rubber, times his corner entry perfectly, and keeps the drive off without cooking the rears. Over a race distance, that’s huge.”
That blend of tyre conservation, car control, and adaptability has already humbled some of NASCAR’s best, and Allmendinger joked that van Gisbergen has raised expectations for other Aussies and Kiwis trying to follow his path.
Now, with growing confidence on ovals and a proven mastery on road courses, van Gisbergen enters the Charlotte ROVAL weekend as the outright favourite. A win would add another chapter to what has already been one of the most remarkable rookie seasons NASCAR has ever seen.
Header Image: Getty Images/NASCAR
