![\"Shane](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763127309_936_GettyImages-2229244717-e1756069121309.jpg\")
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WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK – AUGUST 09: Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet, looks on during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 09, 2025 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Shane van Gisbergen built his name as one of the top racers in Australia\u2019s V8 Supercars Championship<\/a>. With three titles and several Bathurst 1000 wins, he had already become a major figure<\/a> in the sport. NASCAR, though, was never part of his plan. He only watched it during the Marcos Ambrose era and then drifted away.<\/p>\n \u201cI followed NASCAR a bit when [Aussie Cup driver] Marcos Ambrose was racing, but when he stopped, I didn\u2019t really pay much attention again until Trackhouse co-owner Justin Marks launched Project 91 in 2022,\u201d SVG said<\/a>.<\/p>\n He once considered Formula 1, but the path was tough, and he joked about his size holding him back. \u201cMy weight was my enemy in open-wheel racing. Most drivers look like they should be 14 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n So he focused on touring cars, tried American racing through IMSA, and even a call from Roger Penske couldn\u2019t spark a NASCAR dream. Everything changed when Project 91<\/a> opened the door.<\/p>\n How Project 91 Brought SVG Into NASCAR<\/p>\n Trackhouse Racing launched Project 91 in 2022 as a way to bring world-class drivers into select NASCAR events. Justin Marks invited names like Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen and Kamui Kobayashi to try the series, showing that NASCAR could welcome global talent.<\/p>\n SVG admired R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen\u2019s run but didn\u2019t expect him would be part of it. That changed when he reached out to former Cup driver Boris Said. \u201cI put out feelers through former NASCAR Cup driver Boris Said,\u201d he said. \u201cBoris knew Justin and sort of started the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n Marks responded with an idea perfectly suited for SVG. \u201cThere\u2019s a new race happening in 2023 on a street track that I think you\u2019d be perfect for,\u201d Marks told him. He asked for a few months to line up partners, and once sponsors came together, the deal was set. SVG agreed to run the first-ever Chicago street race in the Cup Series.<\/p>\n The Chicago Debut That Changed Everything<\/p>\n The 2023 Grant Park 220 suited SVG\u2019s background. The 2.2-mile layout, full of tight corners and bumps, felt similar to the street tracks he knew well in Australia. It also lined up with a rare free weekend in his busy schedule. Backed by Enhance Health, Quad Lock, and WeatherTech, he arrived in the U.S. with no Cup starts and only one practice session.<\/p>\n Starting third, SVG led 9 of 100 laps and handled heavy rain during a restart. In the closing laps, he held off Justin Haley and Chase Elliott to win. It was the first Cup victory<\/a> in 60 years by a driver in his debut race. \u201cIt was a different beast,\u201d Shane van Gisbergen said of the Next Gen car, but he adapted quickly and proved he could race with the best.<\/p>\n SVG\u2019s Rise in NASCAR Since 2023<\/p>\n After that breakthrough, Shane van Gisbergen moved from a special entry to a full NASCAR career. By November 2025, he had six NASCAR wins. He grew beyond his street-course skill, adding strong oval performances, including two top-10 starts this year and a top-10 finish at Kansas Speedway.<\/p>\n For 2025, he became the full-time driver of Trackhouse\u2019s No. 88 Chevrolet, joining Ross Chastain<\/a> and Daniel Su\u00e1rez. He won the Rookie of the Year award<\/a>,\u00a0 the first international driver to win that award since Juan Pablo Montoya.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK – AUGUST 09: Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet, looks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":189491,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-282630","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nascar","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}