Shane van Gisbergen achieved a personal milestone on Sunday at EchoPark Speedway, securing his best oval finish in the NASCAR Cup Series with a sixth-place showing. The New Zealander, noted for his expertise on road courses, continues to make strides on ovals, further raising his profile in his second full-time season as focus shifts to improving his Shane van Gisbergen oval finish performance.
SVG Battles Adversity to Claim Top Oval Result
Driving a redesigned Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing, van Gisbergen delivered a standout run in the Autotrader 400. Despite facing adversity—which included two unscheduled slides through EchoPark’s frontstretch grass, once by his own error and once due to contact with another competitor—SVG charged from the rear of the field in his No. 97 Chevrolet to secure his first top-10 of the year and his inaugural single-digit finish on an oval track.
“We’re really still learning the new car. I think it’s a bit different, and we started the race really loose. Couldn’t hardly hang on. Like, I went to the back. I started good, then blew the rear (tires) off, and then Stephen (Doran, crew chief) and the guys made good adjustments. And from the second stage, I could race, and it felt like I had a good day. But got involved in a bit of stuff and made a mistake myself, and got sick of passing cars. But it was awesome fun.”
— Shane van Gisbergen, Driver
On-Track Incidents Shape Chaotic Race
Van Gisbergen’s first unplanned off-road adventure unfolded at the end of Stage 2. While racing for third, Kyle Larson dove to the bottom lane, colliding with the SAFER barrier after losing control, which sent van Gisbergen sliding across the frontstretch grass. Not long after, he experienced a similar mishap—this time losing traction and skidding just outside the top 10. Both incidents were reminders of the unpredictable nature of oval racing, yet van Gisbergen’s ability to rebound highlighted both his learning curve and resilience.
“I felt confident here last time we were here, too, so kind of built on that,”
— Shane van Gisbergen, Driver
“And, yeah, felt comfortable making moves. Got too adventurous sometimes, going three-wide bottom, and then you get no help. But just more and more comfortable with these races the more I do them.”
— Shane van Gisbergen, Driver
Learning from Last Season’s Challenges
The demanding 1.54-mile layout in Hampton, Georgia, posed a challenge for van Gisbergen last year, yet he and the Trackhouse Racing group have built on that experience to better suit his driving style. Lessons drawn from previous outings at EchoPark have contributed to SVG’s progress and confidence level, as evidenced by Sunday’s result.
Furthermore, after showing front-running speed throughout the previous week’s Daytona 500—staying in top-10 contention until a late-race crash—van Gisbergen’s strong performance at EchoPark provided a much-needed momentum boost. He now sits 16th in the Cup Series points standings, a testament to both his adaptation on ovals and the collective effort at Trackhouse Racing.
“We’ve got a good bunch of people here, and it’s fun prepping during the week, and then at the race track, it’s good vibes. I really enjoy the team I work with, and we’re in a position where we need to accumulate points every week to make this Chase. So last week was pretty disappointing, and then, yeah, great to get sixth today. It’s a huge amount of points. Pissed at myself. I was fourth going into the last corner and let the two guys (Carson Hocevar and Daniel Suárez) inside me. But it’s a pretty good day.”
— Shane van Gisbergen, Driver
Onward to Circuit of The Americas
The NASCAR Cup Series now heads to Circuit of The Americas, the season’s only road course event on a schedule with fewer such races this year. It remains the sole track of its kind on the current calendar where van Gisbergen has raced without yet tasting victory. Focused on maximizing points, van Gisbergen aims to capitalize on his road course strengths, while also continuing to rack up valuable stage points on ovals—a goal he and his Trackhouse Racing group struggled with in 2025 but are now achieving.
“I need to do better on these (oval) weekends and keep scoring those points,”
— Shane van Gisbergen, Driver
“There’s less road courses in the main season, so for me, it’s all points accumulation, and we’re fighting hard to get stage points and that’s a huge positive. We didn’t really get stage points on ovals last year, so we’re in a lot better position, which is awesome. And the road courses, again, are like holidays for us. Just go and have fun and score as many points as we can.”
— Shane van Gisbergen, Driver
Significance of the Performance and Future Prospects
Van Gisbergen’s career-best oval finish at EchoPark marks a major milestone in his adaptation to NASCAR’s unique challenges. By building on experience and taking advantage of improvements from Chevrolet’s newest Camaro ZL1, he’s positioned himself as a versatile competitor capable of contending beyond road circuits. As the Cup Series travels to Circuit of The Americas, SVG’s progress on both ovals and road courses will remain critical for Trackhouse Racing’s championship hopes and for his quest to make the playoffs.
