Shane van Gisbergen confirms marriage to Jessica Dane following his NASCAR victory at Watkins Glen, revealing the low-key wedding during casual post-race comments in New York. The announcement, made while discussing life after racing, marks the couple’s first public acknowledgment of their relationship status after years of speculation.
Unexpected Marriage Disclosure Follows NASCAR Triumph
During his media appearance after claiming the checkered flag at Watkins Glen, van Gisbergen opened up about life outside the racing circuit. While talking about his personal life, including the couple’s pet dog, he unintentionally referred to Jessica Dane as “my wife,” making their nuptials public for the first time. The admission came as van Gisbergen and Dane’s relationship, which started in 2022 while he was with Triple Eight Race Engineering—where Dane was a shareholder—had largely stayed away from the limelight.
The two spent a short period living in Australia and adopted a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Ronald, later relocating to the United States. The couple intentionally kept their romance from public view, and as reported by Speedcafe, their wedding ceremony was a quiet event without much fanfare. Van Gisbergen let the marriage detail slip in a humorous exchange about pet names, stating,
“Jessica, my wife, she seems to have a thing for human names. All our animals seem to have human names. It’s pretty funny, yelling out. It suits him,”
he told Speedcafe. —Shane van Gisbergen, NASCAR Driver
Reasons Behind the Secretive Ceremony
Jessica Dane later confirmed the marriage herself in an interview with V8Sleuth, explaining that the wedding was prompted by their move to the United States rather than personal tradition or preference. Dane admitted that, if they were still living in Australia, marriage might not have happened at all.
“If we were still in Australia, we wouldn’t have got married,”
she told V8Sleuth. —Jessica Dane, Team Owner and Shareholder
She further clarified that,
“It wasn’t something either of us ever really wanted to do, but as foreigners in the US, it adds a layer of security in terms of immigration law and owning property,”
reflecting on the practical reasons behind tying the knot. —Jessica Dane, Team Owner and Shareholder
The couple has settled in North Carolina, where a state law still prohibits unmarried partners from sharing a home. This legal barrier was reportedly another factor influencing their decision, prompting them to make their partnership official in the eyes of the law as they built their new life together.
Challenges and Humor in Organizing the Wedding
According to Dane, arranging the ceremony involved significant logistical challenges, making for a unique story.
“It was a pretty funny situation, to be honest,”
Dane said. —Jessica Dane, Team Owner and Shareholder
The pair struggled to schedule around their racing and work commitments, looking for a day when both were free alongside their required witnesses. As Dane explained,
“We did everything very low-key. It was a case of finding a day that we were both in the same place at the same time, that we were able to have a day that we weren’t both in meetings or at racetracks, and where we also had two witnesses available.”
—Jessica Dane, Team Owner and Shareholder
She went on to describe the difficulty:
“It just happened to be a Thursday, and also it had to fit in with the time that the magistrate was available. The magistrate only does weddings between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.”
—Jessica Dane, Team Owner and Shareholder
Eventually, they settled on a random Thursday in July, squeezing the ceremony into the limited window available.
The Ceremony: An Unconventional Legal Adventure
Dane gave insight into the process, recounting how the wedding quickly became a humorous adventure due to all the procedural steps on the day.
“So fitting all of that together, it took a long time to find a day where we could actually do it. We found a random Thursday in July.”
—Jessica Dane, Team Owner and Shareholder
She described the event:
“It was hilarious. Because first you have to go to the deeds register and get your marriage licence, then we had to walk across the carpark to the court and pay for a marriage certificate at the court, and then from there you walk back through the metal detectors and walk over to the prison.”
—Jessica Dane, Team Owner and Shareholder
The day, though unconventional, transformed a simple legal act into a memory filled with laughter and logistical maneuvering, emblematic of their busy lives in motorsport.
Impact and Looking Ahead for the Couple
With Shane van Gisbergen’s racing success and Jessica Dane’s continuing role within motorsport, the pair have managed to balance professional obligations with personal milestones, navigating both challenges and legal requirements as newcomers in the US. Their story underscores how practical considerations can shape even the most personal of decisions for international sporting figures.
As the couple continues life in North Carolina amidst van Gisbergen’s NASCAR career, their recent marriage brings a new sense of security and stability for their future, all while keeping their private achievements in the shadow of public racing triumphs.
