It’s not every day you see a road course specialist thrive on a short track like Martinsville. But Shane van Gisbergen, the Kiwi, turning heads with Kaulig Racing, made it look almost natural in his first Cup Series start at the “Paperclip.” After a grueling 500 laps, he crossed the line on 12th, holding his ground among NASCAR’s best on one of the trickiest short tracks in the game.

There’s a reason Martinsville is known for tough, physical racing—tight corners, heavy braking, and the intense precision needed to nail each turn feel more like a road course than your usual NASCAR oval. This challenge seemed to play to SVG’s strengths, showcasing how quickly he’s learning to adapt his skills from twisty road courses to the bump-and-grind of short tracks. And while his run wasn’t loaded with highlight-reel moments, he was asked to take out a car by his crew chief.

Shane Van Gisbergen asked to wreck Ryan Blaney

Shane van Gisbergen slipped a lap down here and there and at one point found himself in the middle of a Blaney-Byron “punt” situation. But he climbed back each time, thanks to some solid strategy calls and a quick ride underneath him.

It’s this knack for figuring things out on the fly that’s made SVG a standout, even when the results don’t scream “race winner.” In Martinsville’s demanding setting, he aced his first short-track examination.

However, that did not come without some stratagical influence from his manufacturer. Sometimes, when it comes to on-track influence, the manufacturers have a say in what a certain car does during the race. In a situation where Team Penske’s No. 12 Ford was leading the Martinsville race, SVG was asked to get a little aggressive on the track from Chevrolet.

On the final restart of the race, SVG’s spotter stated, “Don’t forget what the 12 did to you earlier.” When SVG replied to that with a laugh and by saying “10-4” which stands for “copy that”, his spotter explained, “That message is from Chevrolet.”

From what went down on lap 345, Ryan Blaney made a bold maneuver when it came to passing van Gisbergen, who was already a lap down. In order to get the advantage, Ryan Blaney nudged SVG’s car, which sent him into William Byron.

Luckily, SVG still managed to maintain control over the race and Byron made it into the finals despite not winning the race. There was obviously the shock of Christopher Bell’s wall riding that got a tiebreaker between Byron and the JGR driver, but in the end, it was Hendrick Motorsports who found a driver in the playoffs.

We know that SVG is better known for his performances on road course tracks; however, his P12 finish at Martinsville has been one of his best finishes on an oval, especially considering this is his first start on the track.

Kaulig Racing has had a difficult season overall; however, the last two performances by their drivers have fans riled up in excitement. The team is picking up pace and while it might have started towards the end of the season. It’s great news for fans of the team who are watching their favorite drivers race against the top drivers in the season.

Kaulig Racing’s comeback towards the end of the 2024 playoffs

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Now, Kaulig Racing hasn’t exactly dominated ovals this season, especially with their No. 16 car struggling to crack the top ten consistently. But there’s been some spark lately—last week, AJ Allmendinger made a solid eighth-place showing at Homestead. It might just be that the Kaulig team has found something extra in their setup as the season winds down. If this keeps up, the team could be onto something heading into 2025.

And that’s where things get exciting. With superspeedways and road courses opening the new season, followed by another round at these same year-end tracks, SVG has every chance to keep building on to this momentum.

Although Kaulig is picking up the race, van Gisbergen will be joining Trackhouse Racing for 2025, and he can use this momentum to join the contention for the Cup Series title. So far, van Gisbergen has already shown he can handle the learning curve at Martinsville, so who knows what he might pull off with a bit more experience and Kaulig’s growing speed?

Do you think that the move to Trackhouse Racing will help van Gisbergen get into contention for the title? Share your thoughts in the comments below.