Ty Majeski discusses his victory in the 46th Slinger Nationals race
The reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion dominated, even if his car wasn’t as good as he tought it could be.
- Shane van Gisbergen, a former Australian Supercars champion, has quickly become a respected NASCAR Cup Series competitor after winning the inaugural Chicago Street Course race in 2023.
- Van Gisbergen has found success in various racing series, including wins in the Bathurst 12 Hour, a podium finish at the 24 Hours of Daytona, and three championships in the Australian Supercars series.
- He currently races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Trackhouse Racing and has secured multiple victories, including at Portland, Sonoma, Chicago, and Mexico City.
- Van Gisbergen excels at road courses and credits his experience racing on street tracks in Australia for his success in NASCAR.
Three years ago, Shane van Gisbergen came out of nowhere to become a well-respected NASCAR Cup Series competitor. The former Australian Supercars legend came to NASCAR in 2023 after winning the inaugural Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course.
Van Gisbergen enjoyed impressive wins in the Bathurst 12 hour, a podium in the 24 Hours of Daytona and three championships in the Australian Supercars series. In 2024, he competed full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 97 for Kaulig Racing.
In June 2024, Van Gisbergen earned his first Xfinity win at Portland International Raceway and collected two more victories at Sonoma Raceway and the Chicago Street Course. Currently, he races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing. He won the inaugural race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City in June 2025. Most recently, van Gisbergen went back to victory lane where it all began, sweeping the weekend and winning both Xfinity and Cup races at the Chicago Street Course in July 2025.
The native of Auckland, New Zealand, feels very comfortable in NASCAR’s elite Cup Series after much success as a road course racer and he’s become the series’ winningest driver not born in the US.
“I come here (NASCAR) and there’s no stress,” Van Gisbergen said after his Cup victory at Chicago. “People probably think there’s more stress and expectation on us, but I kind of just get excited by it and love driving. It’s the ovals where I know I’m getting better. I’m not stressed about it and I’m not forcing it, but I love trying to progress and get better and better.
“But yeah, to be a foreigner here, there’s not many of us who have broken into the sport and stayed here for too long, and it’s pretty cool to be here, that’s for sure.”
Growing up on the street courses fit him like a glove.
“I think the first year was a big gap to the other guys.” Van Gisbergen said. “That’s what I grew up doing in racing in Australia. When I moved there, most of the races were street tracks, or half of them at least. But I really feel like a lot of people are really good here at the moment. Thankfully, we’ve been able to keep getting better, get our cars better, and I’ve understood the track better.”
Van Gisbergen is happy to call the city of Chicago his adopted home of sorts, as much of his Cup success has come there.
“This joint, it’s changed my life,” Van Gisbergen said. “I didn’t have any plans to do more NASCAR races when I first came over here, and I never thought I’d be in NASCAR full time.
“It’s pretty special here, some good memories, and some good races. I love the track. It’s a cool place to come to. You feel a nice vibe. You feel a good vibe in the mornings, walking to the track with the fans. It’s pretty unique like that.”
There have been some great road course racers in NASCAR history, such as Bobby Allison, Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace, just to name a few. Headliners among present-day drivers include A.J. Allmendinger, Daniel Suarez, Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe. Van Gisbergen is certainly one of the best drivers among them.
“Yeah, it’s amazing,” Van Gisbergen said. “We’ve had a pretty good year on road courses so far and had glimpses of speed, but I really think we’ve developed our car as well. There have been some areas that we haven’t been good at, we’ve been lacking a little bit … our car setup has drastically changed in the last few road courses, and it’s been great trying to understand this car and be able to try stuff.
“I’m slowly starting to understand it, but there’s still some things we can be a lot better at. But try again next week, and we can just keep trying to get better. We’re near in position now where you have that playoff spot, you can take more risk. It’s been enjoyable figuring this car out and getting outside the box a little bit.”
Justin Marks, owner of Trackhouse Racing, is very happy to have the foreign-born driver at the controls of the No. 88 Chevrolet. He sees something in this incredible competitor that is adapting well to ovals coming on the Cup schedule.
“For me, in my experience driving race cars for 20 years, it’s his racing IQ,” Marks said. “It’s how strategic he can think while he’s on the limit of the race car.
“A lot of drivers, it takes all of your mental bandwidth to drive the car fast, and Shane is one of these guys that can drive the car at the limit but be thinking bigger picture stuff. He knows where he is in the race — he’s great at managing his tires, his equipment, all that kind of stuff. I think for his talent profile specifically, street races are just — they come very, very naturally to him.”
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