“You got to be on your toes there,” Shane van Gisbergen admitted earlier this year. Wading through a transformative journey from Supercars to NASCAR is no easy feat, and the Kiwi speedster has already accomplished a lot. Beginning with his debut Cup Series win at the 2023 Chicago Street Race and slowly getting the hang of oval racing in Xfinity, SVG is leveling up step by step.

Now he is undertaking serious preparation for his big 2025 plans. After spending a year racing a bunch of Xfinity, Craftsman Truck, and some ARCA Menards races, Shane van Gisbergen is going to enter the top level in a full-time capacity. But before, he is sharpening his driving tools in the manner of all seasoned NASCAR drivers.

Shane van Gisbergen explores dirt

The Auckland, New Zealand native, is no stranger to dirt racing. In December 2022, he made his Sprint Car debut at Western Springs Speedway in his hometown. SVG finished 14th in that race, a race won by dirt racing star Michael Pickens. Then less than a month later, the Kiwi driver won his first Sprint Car race at Robertson Prestige International Speedway in Palmerston North, New Zealand. That should tell you how his chances would fare in his recent dirt racing efforts. In preparation for his incoming full-time Cup Series ride under Trackhouse Racing, Shane van Gisbergen participated in a regional race – with spectacular results.

SVG went back to his hometown, competing in the United Truck Parts-backed Sprintcar. Piloting the No. 97A, he started fourth in Heat 2 and came up short of the win after a bold pass on the high line for the lead. He made contact with Ryan Berry’s No. 16A, both drivers clinching podium finishes. In Heat 3 as well, Shane van Gisbergen performed well. He started seventh and raced his way forward to finish third behind Jonathan Allard and Michael Pickens. He uploaded an Instagram story marking the event, feeling nostalgic about Western Springs Speedway. “Missed this!! What an awesome track,” he wrote.

Every NASCAR driver hones their skills in dirt racing. Recently, Joe Gibbs uplifted restrictions to allow his drivers to compete outside of NASCAR – as both Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe are seasoned late-model racers. 2021 Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson is also a season dirt racer with Chili Bowl national victories in 2020 and 2021.

Justin Marks, CEO of Trackhouse Racing, when curating Shane van Gisbergen‘s 2024 schedule, also gave importance to his 2025 plan. “He’s going to be a major presence in the Xfinity Series next year, we’re going to put some great Cup races together for him. And honestly, it’s going to be some grassroots stuff too – Late Models and dirt racing. Just learning for him how to be a circle track driver in the states.”

Interestingly, Shane van Gisbergen helped introduce a pair of F1 stars to NASCAR’s racing roots.

Meeting of two worlds

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Last month, a unique NASCAR-F1 crossover happened. Trackhouse’s Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen introduced F1 drivers Yuki Tsuonda and Liam Lawson to the world of American dirt oval racing. They met at Cotton Bowl Speedway and slid a couple of stock cars around the oval. The VCARB F1 drivers are used to being glued to the track at insane speeds. So they were not familiar with how a stock car would handle, especially on dirt. But their performance differed vastly. Tsunoda took to the racetrack with no fear and chose the top lane in the five-lap sprint race and ended up winning. Lawson, on the other hand, took some time to analyze what was going on.

Visiting the Cotton Bowl reignited childhood memories for SVG as he started his love affair with racing on the dirt tracks of Auckland. “I’d love to race some sprint cars or something around here. One of the tracks where I learned to race was the Waiuku dirt track in the middle of nowhere, on the outskirts of Auckland,” he said. However, SVG and Zilisch were there to see how F1 drivers fare and they were not disappointed.

Shane van Gisbergen marveled at this disparity between the two Red Bull drivers. “Yuki just got in and drove. He was just out of control. Liam was more analytical and trying to figure it out. Yuki was just foot to the floor and going. It was very interesting to watch their different styles.” Yet SVG confessed that he could relate to Lawson’s style more. “I think I’m more on Liam’s side, more on the analytical side and trying to understand why things go fast. When I need to just jump in and go, I can as well.”

Now SVG is indeed jumping in and going, as preparations are in full swing for 2025. We can only wonder about how big of a threat he can be to his rivals in the Cup Series.