Shane van Gisbergen NASCAR growth has been strongly influenced by team collaboration at Trackhouse Racing, with van Gisbergen recently spotlighting Ross Chastain as a performance standard. During a challenging season that included a tough outing at Iowa Speedway, van Gisbergen emphasized learning from his teammates and the collective effort driving progress within the organization.
Team-First Approach Fuels Success at Trackhouse Racing
At Trackhouse Racing, success hinges on a culture where knowledge sharing and mentorship take priority over internal competition. Shane van Gisbergen, having joined forces with Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez, has experienced firsthand the advantages of genuine camaraderie, rather than simmering rivalries often seen in other motorsports teams. This supportive environment has played a crucial role in van Gisbergen’s adaptation to NASCAR’s demanding oval tracks.
Although van Gisbergen arrived in NASCAR with a reputation for dominance on road and street circuits from his Supercars career, he acknowledged that mastering oval racing presented an entirely new challenge. During this period of adjustment, Ross Chastain’s guidance and teamwork emerged as key factors accelerating van Gisbergen’s development.
Chastain Sets a High Bar for Performance
In a recent interview, van Gisbergen revealed how working with his teammates, and especially Chastain, has elevated his performance. He credited Chastain’s skills around restart maneuvers and positional awareness as particular strengths that have helped boost the Trackhouse team’s collective results. Explaining the difference his teammates made, van Gisbergen shared:
“As a team, some weeks I felt like I drove pretty well, and I was still 30th, but Ross (Chastain) was 31st or 29th,”
—Shane van Gisbergen, Driver
Describing the group’s shared struggles and growth, he recalled:
“Well, Ross and Daniel (Suarez), we’d struggle as a team, you know. So, I felt like we were getting there, and then as our team is getting better. We’re learning a bit more, our oval cars are getting better, I’m kind of creeping up there with it,”
—Shane van Gisbergen, Driver
Chastain’s approach to turning average cars into top-10 challengers hasn’t gone unnoticed by van Gisbergen, who explained:
“And Ross has got some amazing ability on restarts and his positioning to get a top-10 result with a 25th-place car,”
—Shane van Gisbergen, Driver
On benchmarking his progress against Chastain and Suarez, he commented:
“He’s exceptional, very good, so I’m just trying to benchmark to him and Daniel, but I feel like as a team we’ve gotten better, and like my average running positions now, inside the top 20, or my pace is in the 20s now. So, it’s been a huge gain on the ovals and only getting better too,”
—Shane van Gisbergen, Driver
Marked Progress on Oval Tracks
This season represents a pivotal period for van Gisbergen, who, after claiming victories at tracks like Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Chicago, and Sonoma, has shifted his focus toward improving on NASCAR’s traditional ovals. Despite those wins coming on road courses, his consistent performance improvements are evident in race positions and average lap times on ovals—a testament to both personal growth and team-wide advancements.
The No. 88 Chevrolet’s progress throughout the campaign reflects the benefits of close collaboration between teammates. Learnings exchanged within the Trackhouse garage have not only contributed to van Gisbergen’s ongoing evolution but are also raising the entire team’s competitiveness across the NASCAR circuit.
Collaboration Sets the Standard for NASCAR Development
As Shane van Gisbergen continues adapting to the unique demands of oval racing, his partnership with Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez at Trackhouse Racing illustrates how a united approach can unlock new levels of performance. Rather than focusing solely on individual outcomes, van Gisbergen’s NASCAR growth story demonstrates that mutual support and benchmarking against proven performers like Chastain are now fundamental to success. Looking forward, the strengthening team dynamic at Trackhouse Racing signals even greater potential as the season progresses.
