Shane van Gisbergen, better known as SVG, was an outsider when he arrived in NASCAR from the land down under. He was coming after conquering New Zealand and Australia’s racing circuits, the Supercars Championship and GT racing. The Kiwi boasts three Supercars championships, winning 81 races for the #97 of Triple Eight Engineering. SVG is also one of two people to win all three events at Mount Panorama: the Bathurst 1000, Bathurst 12 hour, and Bathurst 6 hour. His foray into the NASCAR scene was in 2023 and it started with a loud bang!

He became the 6th foreign-born and first New Zealand-origin racer in NASCAR’s history to win a race in the Cup Series by winning the Grant Park 220 on the Chicago Street Course in 2023. He also became the 11th driver in NASCAR history to win their first race in the Cup Series. However, this was SVG’s first-ever race in NASCAR, achieving a feat not seen in 60 years since IndyCar legend Johnny Rutherford won the Daytona 500 in 1963.

SVG has also competed full-time in the Xfinity Series and drove one race in the Craftsman Truck Series and thus completed his set of all mainstream NASCAR racing. He is to make his full-time NASCAR Cup Series debut in the 2025 season for Trackhouse Racing, but he has faced some challenges in the Xfinity scene that were recently revealed by a colleague from the past.

Ex-Boss’s performance review

Shane van Gisbergen was the apple of the eye for Triple Eight Race Engineering and shares a special bond with their former administrator, Roland Dane. He not only shares a professional relationship but a personal relationship as well with Dane, as earlier he revealed to be in a relationship with his daughter Jessica Dane. Roland Dane shared his thoughts on SVG’s first full season in NASCAR as the latter gears up for a full-time Cup journey.

In the latest episode of KTM Summer Grill, Dane said, “Well I mean, I’m biased, um, naturally, but, uh, I think, um, I think he’s had a fantastic year.” 2024 was SVG’s first full-time NASCAR ride, and it came with Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series. The Kiwi posted three wins, seven top-5, and ten top-10 finishes in a stellar campaign. He also participated in 12 races in the Cup Series and amassed one top-5 and two top-10 finishes. His most notable finish was a second-place finish at Watkins Glen.

Rolan Dane was quick to point out that the race at Watkins Glen was a rare time when SVG faltered. He added, “He made a small error on the last lap and got passed for the win.” However, Dane also raved about how loved he is in the NASCAR world. “It’s fantastic to watch, and he is so not just loved but adored by the fan base over there across both categories, you know, across Xfinity and Cup, they love having this tall Kiwi kick a football around the way he does.” The Kiwi does have a trademark celebration which he brought out after each Xfinity win last season. Inspired by a Trackhouse Racing tradition of embodying your culture in your celebration, SVG brought out a rugby ball and punted it into the stands to the delight of fans.

Dane also revealed the initial struggles SVG faced in terms of getting acquainted with the cars of different races. He continued, “To me, from the outside, learning to drive the Xfinity car was more difficult than the Cup car, but of course, he was racing primarily in the Xfinity car, and when you get up and look at them closely, they do look as though they do look as though they might have been designed by Fred Flintstone about 60 years ago, but there’s still an art to getting the most out of them from an engineering point of view and a driving point of view.” The Kiwi notably won all of his Xfinity races on road courses at Portland, Sonoma, and Chicago yet again. However, he is still yet to get used to driving at Superspeedways. Pocono and Talladega saw SVG finish outside the top 30 despite qualifying in the top 10 for both races.

Even though Shane van Gisbergen struggled more with Xfinity cars, he was able to pull a better performance in the same series where he finished 12th in the overall season. In 2025, not only will he turn into a full-time racer in the Cup Series, but he will also be competing in the Xfinity Series for the second time.

SVG and Trackhouse teammate to run Xfinity with JRM

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports has made a strategic decision to sign both Trackhouse drivers for select races. This deal works in favor of both the racing teams and Shane van Gisbergen. JRM will gain the star driver’s skills for tracks like Mexico City, the Chicago Street Race, Sonoma, and Watkins Glen; meanwhile, this will help SVG prepare for other races in the Cup Series.

“I’m trying to get as much experience as I can. JR Motorsports is one of the top teams and won the championship with Justin Allgaier. I can’t wait to get started,” said Shane van Gisbergen in a statement expressing his excitement for driving alongside Allgaier. Apart from SVG, JRM also gets seasoned driver Ross Chastain for five Xfinity Series races—COTA, Darlington, Nashville, Dover, and Iowa, starting on March 1.

The Trackhouse Cup duo will look to light up the Xfinity circuit with their daring racing styles. JRM fans should be prepared form some watermelon’s being smashed in typical Chastain style, and if you’re at a road course, beware of SVG’s Rugby punt coming into the crowd if he wins the race. Exiting times lie ahead for JRM and SVG as we witness the birth of a new star in the NASCAR world.