He burst into the NASCAR scene nearly a year ago. But Shane van Gisbergen has already claimed his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win in Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway. Of course, he was elated. A burnout through the 1.967-mile road course and punting a signed rugby ball to the fans- that’s how he chose to celebrate.

You can take a Kiwi out of New Zealand, but you can’t take New Zealand out of a Kiwi. Wearing a black driver’s suit with his #97 Chevrolet featuring black livery, it was too much of a coincidence that the colors coincided with New Zealand’s famous ‘All Black’ rugby team. Now, while SVG may consider road course racing his bread and butter, NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick wants him to take a step down in the Truck Series to prove his dominance.

Will Shane van Gisbergen take up the challenge?

Having entered NASCAR last year at the 2023 Chicago Street Race, Shane van Gisbergen shocked the community by qualifying third fastest and winning his debut NASCAR Cup Series race. If that wasn’t all, he went on to bag Kaulig Racing’s maiden win of the 2024 season so far at the Portland International Raceway. Van Gisbergen’s journey to NASCAR has been an eventful one, winning the Supercars championship three times, which is where he earned his reputation as a dominant road course driver.

On Episode 31 of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour Podcast, Harvick joined co-hosts Mamba Smith and Kaitlyn Vincie to discuss whether Shane van Gisbergen should take a step down into the NASCAR Truck Series. When Mamba Smith said, “Here’s the thing about SVG, he won a cup race already, and he’s got an Xfinity Series race now. Andy Lally made a tweet saying that they should just put him in The Truck Series’ next road course race so he can be the quickest person to winning all three series,” Kevin Harvick was quick to reply.

He said, “If you put him in a truck on a road course, he’s gonna win. If he doesn’t win the first one, he probably will win the second one. I think that’s a great idea.”

However, Shane van Gisbergen’s strategy could have almost backfired at the Pacific Office Automation 147 when he dominated the race in Stage 1 but he decided to pit before the end of the stage to maintain track position in Stage 2. The strategy didn’t work out, and Van Gisbergen spent most of Stage 2 playing catch-up. With four laps to go, on the final restart of the race, he finally got his chance and managed to overtake Justin Allgaier to take his second NASCAR win.

Not only did Van Gisbergen manage to recover from self-inflicted mistakes, but he drove with the aggressiveness of a rookie while showing the temperament of a veteran. Keeping Justin Allgaier, who dominated the race for long stretches at bay, only to lose out in the end, SVG had once again stolen the show. Many had expected him to be a contender, but most doubted he had the experience of pulling off a win. But what’s ahead for him?

Shane van Gisbergen: Proving his doubters wrong

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It’s no secret that SVG’s potential in NASCAR has been met with skepticism by some fans. Those doubts should have been dispelled when the Kiwi won his debut Cup Series race in Chicago. In the following race on the Indy Race Course, he finished 10th. However, the apprehensions remained. And now, having won the Portland road race as his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, people seem to have more confidence in him. With this win, the driver earned a provisional playoff spot.

Van Gisbergen was just two turns away from winning the Xfinity Series race at COTA, but the critics remained vocal. Perhaps with a win in all three NASCAR series, the Kiwi can prove once and for all that he is more than just a driver who somehow managed to conquer the internet with his debut win last year. He has proven that his goal in competing in NASCAR is simple: to win.

This weekend Shane Van Gisbergen will be present at another road course in Sonoma Raceway. He aims to win back-to-back races.

Do you think Shane van Gisbergen should race in the Truck Series as well? Let us know in the comments!