Gone are those days when road course races used to be exhibition events or one-off races in the Cup Series schedule. Now it has established itself as a prominent style of racing alongside the ovals and the superspeedway racing. The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule has five road course races along with a street course. Thus forcing the team’s hand in finding new talents to excel in this setting.

Trackhouse Racing has been grooming Shane van Gisbergen for this purpose, and from 2025 onwards he will be competing in the Cup Series. Now, the likes of Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick are known for their prowess on the road courses. But SVG seems to have claimed the title of best road course racer in NASCAR after his dominant performances as a rookie in the Xfinity Series.

The Kiwi speedster has already won a cup race at the Chicago street course and therefore is expected to take the cup racing by storm. However, dominating the road course will be a tough ordeal for SVG in 2025, according to NASCAR icon Ricky Rudd.

NASCAR Cup Series racing will be a different ball game for Shane van Gisbergen

Ricky Rudd wasn’t trying to belittle SVG by making any audacious claims. Rather, he explained how fierce the competition will be in the Cup Series compared to his recent adventures. And this was evident from his attempts to conquer the road course in 2024. At COTA, he only managed a P20 finish, whereas he crashed out of the street race in Chicago.

He looked to be in his element at Watkins Glen, but a late race mistake cost him the win. Chris Buescher was the one who traded blows with the Kiwi speedster and ultimately got the better of him. Rudd, while making his point, highlighted how smart the drivers in the Cup Series are using videotapes and studying their opponents. And next year they will do the same to nullify the threat of Shane van Gisbergen.

“You know people watch films now they study. I think you’re going to see his advantages; he’s still going to be great. Don’t get me wrong, but I think you’re going to see his advantage on a road course slowly sort of disappear. Not right away; he’ll still be upfront; he’ll be one of the guys to beat. But I think one of these guys are going to study him and they’re gonna learn what he’s doing.” Rudd said this while speaking on GoPRNLive via YouTube. 

However, SVG isn’t aiming for the road courses as his avenue for success at the Cup level. Oval racing is new for the Kiwi speedster, but he seems to be making ground on this traditional style of NASCAR racing.

SVG looking to improve his racecraft on the Ovals

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Kaulig Racing and Shane van Gisbergen struggled to find the right balance for the #97 Chevrolet Camaro on the ovals. They did have strong top 5 finishes at Atlanta and Brickyard, but they weren’t able to find that consistent speed. With three wins in the regular season, SVG had locked himself into the playoffs, which allowed him to learn the tricks of the trade to get better at the ovals.

Despite having an impressive run, it is hard to see SVG as a genuine title contender. But the 35-year-old is looking to make the most of this opportunity and improve his skillset on the ovals. “There’s three tracks really that are worrying in the playoffs, but the rest of them I’ve been before, and I know what to expect. So yeah, that’s going to be interesting to see the second time around, how much I’ve improved and how competitive I can be on ovals.” He said this to SiriusXM.

Kansas was one of the three tracks he had not been to before. Despite the early struggles, he managed a P8 finish. He will now look to improve on tracks like Talladega, Martinsville, and Phoenix, where he’s already raced before this year. The ROVAL race could be his gateway for a deep playoff run; other than that, the competition is pretty fierce, with drivers now fighting for the championship.