Shane van Gisbergen and his heroics in the Supercars Championship have helped him take his career to the next level. Now, in the NASCAR world, SVG has established himself as one of the most interesting prospects with some fine performances in the Xfinity and Cup Series. Not only that, the New Zealander has turned into an inspirational figure for one of his colleagues.

In today’s time, Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks remains one of the most dynamic personalities in NASCAR. His vision to make the team one of the biggest has encouraged him to make some out-of-the-box decisions. One such decision involved the signing of their young star driver, Connor Zilisch. While Zilisch remains an exciting talent, he could not be more thankful for being partnered with Van Gisbergen.

Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch share a strong bond despite coming from different setups

Ever since his introduction to the motorsports arena, Connor Zilisch has been a popular name. Along with plenty of national kart titles to his name, Zilisch became the first American to win the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy in 2020. Interestingly, this award was once won by Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc in 2011.

Not only that, Zilisch won the Rookie of the Year award in the Mazda MX-5 Cup. At the age of 15, the youngster attracted attention with a couple of wins in the local late-model racing arena. It only got better with an impressive performance in his debut ARCA race at Watkins Glen. Having led 34 laps in the race, Zilisch almost cruised to victory, if not for Xfinity Series star Jesse Love.

Naturally, being the visionary Justin Marks is, he signed the young and talented Connor Zilisch as a development driver for Trackhouse Racing in 2024. Given the 18-year-old’s achievements so far, he’s been bestowed with being the next big thing in NASCAR. Luckily for him, he’s accompanied by Shane van Gisbergen, whose experience and success will both come in handy.

Last week, while speaking in an interview with 1nternTalksWheel, Zilisch expressed his delight to be SVG’s teammate. While the Charlotte-born driver is set to make his Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen in September, he has an additional reason to be excited. He said, “Yeah, I’m excited for Watkins when I get to race against SVG on a road course. That will be the first time that we get to go head-to-head against each other.”

Zilisch confirmed being friends with SVG and how he finds comfort in asking several questions to the Kiwi driver. While the duo will be competing with each other at Watkins Glen, Connor Zilisch explained the positive influence the Auckland-born driver has had on him. He said, “Yeah, it’s been cool talking to him because we obviously share similar backgrounds.”

Despite sharing similar backgrounds, Zilisch described the main reason he’s impressed by Shane van Gisbergen. He said, “But for me, it’s just how he learns and he shows up to the racetrack and practice. He might not be the fastest and in qualifying, he may not be the fastest in stage one of a race, he might not be the fastest but by stage two and stage three of the races, he ends up figuring it out and he doesn’t rush it at all. But by stage three when it comes time to put the car up front he does and he always ends up being in the top 15 by the end of the race and that’s something for me.”

Indeed, Shane van Gisbergen has truly stood out as an inspiration. His quick growth in stock car racing deserves more appreciation.

Shane van Gisbergen could very well end up winning the Xfinity Series in his rookie season

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There’s a reason why Justin Marks is called a visionary owner. Not only did he act promptly in signing Connor Zilisch, but he also made a sensational investment in Shane van Gisbergen. After the New Zealander’s heroics in the Chicago Street Course race, many doubted it as a one-time fluke. However, SVG had his plans.

While he opted to race full-time in the Xfinity Series in his debut year in NASCAR, it hasn’t been short of impressive. After 20 races, Shane van Gisbergen has registered three wins, five top-five finishes, and six top-10 finishes. It is worth noting that, despite this being his debut season, no other driver has managed as many victories as SVG.

Unsurprisingly, he has done amazingly well on road courses. While technical challenges have hampered his progress on oval tracks, it isn’t wise to write SVG off just yet. Not to forget, the Charlotte Roval road course remains a key race in the Round of 12 of the playoffs. It isn’t that Shane van Gisbergen has performed poorly on oval tracks. However, with some more experience and given his adaptability, the Kiwi driver could come up with more surprises.

A single impressive win in the round of 8 either in Las Vegas, Homestead, or Martinsville could give SVG a massive boost. Should he end up winning the Xfinity Series, it is going to be amazing how influenced Connor Zilisch would be. Regardless, it only goes to show the amazing prospects Trackhouse Racing has at its disposal.