Shane van Gisbergen has turn out to be probably the most profitable foreign-born driver in NASCAR Cup Sequence historical past following a formidable victory in Sunday’s Chicago road race.
The Trackhouse Racing driver began from pole and overcame a chaotic race marked by a number of warning durations to attain his third win in NASCAR’s high tier. After shedding monitor place early on, van Gisbergen regained the lead on Lap 65 and managed the race to the end, holding off Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs by underneath a second because the race ended underneath yellow.
The consequence capped off an ideal weekend for the three-time Supercars champion, who additionally gained Saturday’s Xfinity Sequence race. In doing so, he turned solely the second driver to win each a Cup and Xfinity race from pole on the identical weekend.
Extra considerably, van Gisbergen’s Chicago triumph provides to his wins in final yr’s Cup debut on the similar venue and at Mexico Metropolis earlier this season, taking his Cup victory tally to a few. That strikes the Kiwi previous Marcos Ambrose, teammate Daniel Suarez and former Formulation 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya for probably the most Cup wins by a non-American driver.
Only a few worldwide drivers have succeeded in NASCAR, with motorsport legend Mario Andretti and the late Earl Ross being the one different non-US-born drivers to win a race within the Cup Sequence.
Whereas pleased with the milestone, van Gisbergen reiterated that his main aim stays enhancing on ovals, together with his expertise on highway and road programs giving him a pure benefit at locations like Chicago and Mexico Metropolis.
“That’s a really particular stat. That’s why I’m right here, I suppose. [Trackhouse owner] Justin [Marks] took a large probability on me to convey me over,” stated the three-time Supercars champion.
“As I’ve stated many occasions, these races are like a vacation to me. It’s the ovals the place I’m actually targeted on getting higher and higher.
“I come right here and there’s no stress. Individuals most likely suppose there’s extra stress and expectation on us, however I type of simply get excited by it and love driving.
“However yeah, to be a foreigner right here — there’s not many people who’ve damaged into the game and stayed right here for too lengthy — and fairly cool to be right here, that’s for positive.”
Van Gisbergen’s second Cup victory of 2025 elevates him to twenty seventh within the general standings and essentialy ensures him a spot within the playoffs.
He could have one other alternative to shine on a highway course this weekend, with NASCAR heading to Sonoma for Spherical 20 of the season.
