Shane van Gisbergen and his heroics in the stock racing arena don’t seem to stop. While making a lot of noise with his performance in the Xfinity Series, he secured his Cup Series berth for the 2025 season. Trackhouse Racing owner, Justin Marks, confirmed selecting SVG over rookie Cup Series driver Zane Smith for next year. While his decision couldn’t be argued much, Marks revealed little hesitance with his decision-making.

Zane Smith is currently enjoying his first full-time season in the Cup Series. On loan to Spire Motorsports, Smith has finished twice in the top ten and once in the top five in the 2024 campaign. While the 24-year-old is yet to have a solid impact, having to find a berth in the Cup Series next season will be a challenge for him.

Justin Marks selecting Shane van Gisbergen over Zane Smith involved commercial and technical reasons

Shane van Gisbergen became talk of the motorsports last year when he won in Chicago in his debut Cup Series race. While he made the bold move to race in the United States after dominating the Supercars championship, he has continued with his good form this year as well. With three wins in 22 Xfinity races, SVG has been in stunning form.

The Kiwi driver has certainly been more than impressive for someone deemed an outsider to the sport. At the same time, despite being a former Truck Series driver, Zane Smith has struggled to make it count in the Cup Series. With SVG’s surge in form and Smith failing to impress, Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks decided to go ahead with the New Zealander for the next season.

As reported by Jeff Gluck, Marks looked pretty confident with his decision. He said, “It was honestly a pretty easy decision for us, because (SVG) checked a lot of boxes.” While he said that, Marks called SVG a superstar and acknowledged his attitude and mentality for the win in Chicago last year. Interestingly, he pointed out some details of why he decided to go ahead with the 35-year-old.

Marks added, “It’s a commercial sport, it’s fitting the company, it’s personality, all that. We don’t have four cars, we have three. We’re excited about the decision we made with SVG.” Barring SVG’s impressive run, sponsorships and revenue could be the primary reasons given what the 43-year-old said. Nevertheless, it is a sad story for Zane Smith.

Now, Smith joins Ryan Preece and Corey LaJoie as they remain without a Cup Series ride next year. The question remains, is it the right call from Justin Marks and his team?

Did Justin Marks make a fair call by selecting Shane van Gisbergen over Zane Smith?

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It is worth noting that Zane Smith is currently racing with Spire Motorsports on loan from Trackhouse Racing. Smith triumphed in the 2022 Truck Series season with four wins, 14 top-five, and 19 top-ten finishes in 23 races. While he competed in the Truck Series last year as well, Justin Marks signed him on a multi-year deal.

Although Smith competed with Spire Motorsports in the Cup Series this year, he nearly won the Nashville race after finishing just 0.068 seconds behind winner Joey Logano. While there is little doubt about the 25-year-old’s talent, it could have been interesting to see him in a Trackhouse Racing car. With Spire Motorsports itself struggling to find the right balance with Corey LaJoie and Carson Hocevar, it feels a bit harsh on Smith.

No wonder the decision devastated him. In a press release last Saturday, Smith said, “Obviously, I am disappointed that I’ve been put in a tough spot.” This leaves the question if Justin Marks made the right call by signing Zane Smith last year. While it is good to have great options like Shane van Gisbergen and Smith at your disposal, it is a pity there aren’t enough rides available for them.

Not to forget, Marks has also signed the upcoming NASCAR sensation Connor Zilisch earlier this year. It is uncertain what plans he has set out for the young starlet. Hopefully, there are better plans in the pipeline than what Zane Smith had to face. While it is debatable if Marks made the right decision with Smith, there is little doubt that he will find a ride next year. Having said that, his exit puts a lot of pressure on Shane van Gisbergen to perform well in 2025.