NASCAR Cup Sequence rookie Shane van Gisbergen has admitted he must do a greater job to justify his seat within the class, regardless of taking a dominant victory in Mexico final weekend.
Van Gisbergen led 60 of the 100 laps on NASCAR’s first go to to Mexico Metropolis to say a commanding 16s victory over Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota rival Christopher Bell.
This marked the Kiwi’s second Cup Sequence win, following his sensational debut triumph on the streets of Chicago two years in the past, and additional underlined the expertise of a driver who gained three Supercars titles in Australia earlier than making the swap to North America.
However van Gisbergen isn’t getting carried away by his success on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, conceding that he nonetheless has work to do on ovals if he’s to retain his drive at Trackhouse Racing in 2026.
“That is why I am right here, to win highway races,” mentioned van Gisbergen. “However I am not right here to run final on the ovals both. I must maintain getting higher to justify being a Cup Sequence driver. I should be acting on the ovals, too.
“I really feel like we’re actually making strides, however that is what I am right here to do, make the playoffs, put one other Trackhouse automotive within the playoffs.
“Cannot wait to do the victory lunch throughout the week at Trackhouse and simply see how stoked everyone seems to be there.
“You see the hassle everybody places in, and they do not get the glory. They’re simply caught on the store. I really like taking that and sharing that second with them throughout the week.”
Though his Mexico win provisionally secured him a playoff berth, van Gisbergen stays a distant thirtieth within the total standings with simply 242 factors to his identify.
His struggles on ovals have been a serious limiting issue, with no finishes higher than 14th on such layouts thus far this 12 months.
The truth is, throughout his restricted time within the Cup Sequence, together with his cameo outings in 2023 and ‘24, he has but to crack the highest 10 at an oval.
Van Gisbergen’s first Cup Sequence victory was on the Chicago road circuit, whereas his triumph final weekend was on the identical highway course utilized by System 1 for the Mexico GP.
His solely different Cup Sequence podium got here final 12 months in Watkins Glen, one other highway course in an in any other case oval-dominated calendar.
“I get higher and extra aggressive on ovals,” he mentioned. “My common oval operating place has gone from eighty fifth to tenth to twentieth or tenth to fifteenth on a great day.
“We’re actually making loads of progress and kind of not been forcing. I have been methodical, obtained higher each week and it has been actually enjoyable working with my No. 88 crew all 12 months.
“The final couple of months, it has been nice to indicate some enchancment and be aggressive.”
