Shane van Gisbergen, representing Trackhouse Racing and driving the No. 97 Chevrolet, is preparing for his return to the iconic Daytona 500 with sharpened ambition. After a season of hard lessons on American ovals, van Gisbergen is determined to leverage his experience and methodical preparation to make a significant impact in this year’s race, aiming for a breakout result at the legendary Daytona International Speedway.
Commitment to Improvement and New Approaches
As Shane van Gisbergen looks ahead to the new season, his focus is squarely on constant evolution. He spends preseason time reviewing data with his team and refining setups, drawing on lessons learned from his first year in the NASCAR Cup Series. Sporting a determined outlook, van Gisbergen acknowledged the progression both he and the team made in recent months:
“Not much, just as much preparation as I can. So going through all our notes from last year and then setup stuff and just trying to keep evolving really. I think we did evolve a lot in the second half of the year. So yeah, just trying to be as prepared as we can each week.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Driver
Rather than describing himself as optimistic, van Gisbergen takes a measured view of his growth and development behind the wheel. He approaches oval racing as an ongoing journey, focusing on steady improvement with each event.
“I don’t know. I don’t really think like that. I feel like it’s just a work in progress. I feel like I’m just getting better and better. So hopefully it keeps getting better. I still feel like I learn a lot every weekend. When that stops, that’s when it gets harder, I guess.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Driver
Learning from Track Experience Over Simulation
For van Gisbergen, real-world track experience carries more weight than time spent in simulations, especially on oval circuits like Daytona and Talladega. He has found in-person laps to be instrumental in his learning process:
“It’s all on the racetrack. You can do some sim stuff, but I don’t feel it really helps me.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Driver
This hands-on approach became evident through his performance at places like Kansas Speedway—one of his better oval results last season. He attributes this success to both evolving speed and the cumulative effect of time spent racing in varied conditions.
“I guess it was later in the year. We were just getting better and better. I think we had some races where we had better speed than that, but I didn’t get it right or we got crashed out or something. I felt like we were getting toward the top-10 more often than not at the end, which was really cool.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Driver
Adapting to NASCAR’s Evolving Calendar and Format
With NASCAR adjusting the number of road course events and shifting towards more oval-centric challenges, van Gisbergen has had to adapt rapidly. While his background makes him comfortable on road courses, he embraces the necessity of improving his oval racecraft as the Daytona 500 approaches. He noted the extra effort required but also recognized the opportunity to become a more complete driver:
“Yeah, but I didn’t join this series to do road courses, but obviously it’s a bonus. I’d love more road courses and not less, but that is what it is. Thankfully, we’re getting better at the ovals so that’s good.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Driver
Van Gisbergen acknowledges that superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega offer a unique blend of excitement and monotony, depending on the type of racing occurring during the event:
“Yes and no. When it’s fuel saving, it’s pretty boring. But when it’s flat-out racing and you’re jockeying for position and pushing a lot, it’s pretty full-on. When it’s actual racing it’s really cool.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Driver
Navigating the Points System with a Strategic Mindset
This season, as he eyes the Shane van Gisbergen Daytona 500 campaign, van Gisbergen brings a strategic focus to accumulating points, seeing consistency as his best path into NASCAR’s playoffs. He recognizes the merit of the current championship structure, especially for those able to compete near the front each week.
“I think it’s good. I think if you’re a front-running guy consistently, I think it’s really good and more of a pure racing championship. Then I think it still keeps the balance of excitement or closing everyone up for those last 10 races. So yeah, I think it’s pretty cool. I feel like you lose the desperation a bit of people winning races to try and turn their season around. But if I was a top guy every week, I’d be all for this.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Driver
He remains disciplined in his approach to each race weekend, setting clear priorities for points accumulation and minimizing unnecessary risk:
“Just score as many points as possible. That’s the way we’re going to get into The Chase. So it’s my mindset straight away … just accumulate as many points as we can every week. That’s the focus now.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Driver
The Chase format, now a staple of NASCAR’s championship, has subtly shifted how van Gisbergen and other drivers approach high-stakes events like Daytona.
“Yeah, like I said earlier, that’s our goal – to just accumulate points now. You have to try and achieve as many points as you can every weekend. It probably changes the way you take risks if you’re probably going to be like us, a guy trying to point our way in. I probably will approach it a bit different, I think.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Driver
Building Connections and Embracing Teamwork
With a diverse field and an influx of new talent, team dynamics play a significant role in adapting to the demands of a full NASCAR Cup Series season. Van Gisbergen speaks highly of up-and-comer Conor Zillich, noting his focus and offseason efforts:
“I got to know him the last couple of years. He’s a brilliant young guy. He’s been pretty focused and done a lot of racing over the offseason as well. It’s gonna be interesting to see how he goes and how he fits in after a few rounds. Looking forward to working together. Hopefully we like similar setups and we can make the cars better all together.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Driver
The importance of chemistry, both within the race team and with competitors on the track, remains a learning curve for the New Zealander. Drafting and building trust with fellow racers at Daytona is a skill that takes time to master:
“No, I’m still learning and trying to make friends, I guess. People leave you for no reason, or you do something wrong and lose the trust of people. It takes a while to understand how to put your car in the right place.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Driver
Refining Car Setup and Adapting to NASCAR Machinery
With his first full season under his belt, van Gisbergen continues to analyze his driving style and what the car needs to suit his approach. Coming from a background in international racing, he’s spent considerable time working with the Trackhouse Racing crew to optimize setup and handling.
“You just learn what you want and need from a car. My driving style was very different to most, I guess. The way I make the car work or want it to work is very different to others. We noticed a lot of trends which took a while to get everyone to adjust to. I adjusted a bit but now we’re sort of coming my way a bit, which has kind of helped me. It’s interesting. The cars are set up so different to what I’m used to, and I’m still trying to understand what I need or want from the car.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Driver
Moving from road courses to American ovals requires not only setup changes, but a complete reset in focus. At Daytona, van Gisbergen finds his attention divided between learning the nuances of pack racing and understanding the unique flow of these events:
“It’s just different here like with the qualifying and stuff. You don’t really have an influence on it. You just drive as fast as you can, close to the line as you can. But the preparation is very different. On road courses I’m more involved in setup with what I want. On the ovals I’m just kind of learning and trying to build a notebook. In these races it’s about trying to understand the flow of the race, how to work with people. It’s a completely different style of racing. That’s for sure.”
– Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Driver
Looking Forward to Daytona and Beyond
With his sights firmly set on earning a strong result in the 2026 Shane van Gisbergen Daytona 500 campaign, van Gisbergen’s combination of experience, adaptability, and determined points strategy places him in an intriguing position entering the new season. As the field prepares for one of stock car racing’s crown jewels, van Gisbergen and the entire Trackhouse Racing organization look to continue their forward momentum, making the most of every opportunity to grow as contenders on both ovals and road courses.
If van Gisbergen can apply the lessons and connections forged over the past year, the Daytona 500 could mark the breakthrough he has been building towards, solidifying his place among the rising talents in NASCAR and defining the next stage of his racing journey.
