So close, yet so far. Shane van Gisbergen’s hopes of winning the 24 Hours of Daytona were dashed in the final hour when Connor Zilisch made a costly error, just when the No. 91 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3R was running inside the top five. Despite the heartbreaking finish, the Kiwi racer was grateful for the opportunity presented to him ahead of a breakthrough season as a full-time racer in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The endurance race is one that the 35-year-old is very familiar with, having competed at the Rolex 24 six times before. Shane van Gisbergen may not have finished on the podium, but it’s an experience the former Supercars champion is eager to relive in the years ahead. In fact, his latest appearance came behind the wheel of his former rival’s team!

Shane van Gisbergen thankful despite the bittersweet Rolex 24 end

The start was less-than-an-ideal. Shane van Gisbergen did a triple stint at the beginning of the 24 Hours of Daytona, hoping that his experience would pay off at the 2.5-mile tri-oval to give Trackhouse Racing an advantage. Endurance races such as these are marathons, not sprints, but in SVG’s own words, the veteran racer was “bullied” on the track, but was keen on remaining in the mix and playing the long game at Daytona International Speedway.

However, despite Justin Marks’ side coming agonizingly close to securing a result, the team was forced to settle for a ninth-place finish in the end. Expressing his thoughts after the race ended, Shane van Gisbergen wrote on X, “Had fun during the night in my stints, battling for the lead for a while was fun! Put the car in the hunt at the end but it didn’t work out, it would be awesome to do this race again. Massive thanks to @WeatherTech, @TeamTrackhouse, TF Sport and @TeamChevy for having me! 😀”

It was SVG’s first appearance at the Rolex 24 since 2020 when he partnered with Kyle Busch at the AIM Vasser Sullivan team. He thanked Trackhouse Racing for the opportunity, as his former rival Justin Marks gave him the chance to team up with the likes of Connor Zilisch, Scott McLaughlin, and Ben Keating at the prestigious event. However, he reminisced about the battles with his boss at the iconic race.

Justin Marks has competed at the Rolex 24 before, having had plenty of tussles with Shane van Gisbergen on the track, and the Kiwi racer said, “I think he missed driving it a little bit when I spoke to him. Maybe next year we can convince him to race, that would be really cool. I raced him here plenty of  times in the past… one year we had a good battle”

Marka participated in the historic event from 2016 to 2019 with various teams, such as Change Racing, Turner Motorsport, and Michael Shank Racing. The owner-driver duo battled it out in 2016 as SVG’s team secured a 28th place finish with Marks’ team slipped to a 42nd place end to the race. However, now the two have paired up in the NASCAR Cup Series where SVG will look to take the world by storm with Trackhouse Racing’s #88 Chevrolet.

Competing for a team like Trackhouse Racing is undoubtedly an honor for SVG, who will now shift his attention to stock car racing. The 35-year-old will be participating in the season-opening Clash race on February 3rd before the Cup Series is well and truly underway at Daytona International Speedway. The road course specialist has had somewhat of a fairytale journey in NASCAR after winning on his debut in Chicago and has steadily improved at oval tracks as well to become a force to be reckoned with.

Connor Zilisch frustrated with the race’s outcome

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Expectations were high from Connor Zilisch. Why would they not be? He might be just 18 years old, but the North Carolina native has already won the Rolex 24 in the LMP2 category last year and is considered to be one of the brightest prospects in the motorsports world. However, despite his immense talent, the youngster made a costly error with an hour remaining, after his No. 91 Corvette Z06 GT3R spun into the path of an Era Motorsport car, resulting in a drive-through penalty.

Ultimately, the Trackhouse Racing team narrowly made it into the top 10, a result that Shane van Gisbergen’s teammate was unsatisfied with. Zilisch said, “I’m really frustrated with my final two stints. We had a really good shot. We were third, saving fuel, and would have been good there for that last run if I didn’t make that one mistake and get a drive-through. Frustrated with myself but just really had a blast with the entire TF Sport team. All my teammates made it really fun. Glad I got to do this race again but frustrated with how I finished it.”

2025 seems to be a breakthrough season for both Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen. Both racers will be competing full-time in the Xfinity and Cup Series respectively, and will be eager to hit the ground running with the campaign begins in February. Even though the outcome at Rolex 24 will leave a bitter taste, getting hours of practice at Daytona International Speedway will give both racers some much-needed momentum ahead of the season opener. All eyes will be on Zilisch and Van Gisbergen in the months ahead, and time will prove if they live up to the expectations.