Over NASCAR’s 77 years, many of the stock car series’ top memories were produced by great events and not great races.
If Shane van Gisbergen duplicates his amazing run last Sunday on the road course at Watkins Glen, the June 21 Anduril 250 at Navy Base Coronado might be remembered as one of those great events.
NASCAR is running a Cup race for the first time ever on a military base as a way of saluting the nation’s 250th anniversary. That’s a good place to start. All we need now is an outstanding performance.
Enter the New Zealand driver known by his initials, SVG.
Last Sunday, he merely did what everyone saw as impossible.
Stuck in 26th place and down by 29.2 seconds with 24 laps remaining on the seven-turn, 2.45-mile Watkins Glen road course, SVG won by 7.288 seconds — the fourth-largest margin of a NASCAR victory on the historic upstate New York circuit.
Yes, most of the drivers he passed were driving on older tires. And some were conserving fuel. But SVG passed more than a car a lap and was touring the circuit almost 2 seconds faster a lap than anyone else.
I have been watching NASCAR races for 5½ decades, and I’ve never seen anything like SVG’s run at Watkins Glen.
SVG, who turned 37 on the eve of the Watkins Glen race, is arguably the best road course driver in NASCAR history. In just over two years on the Cup circuit, he has won seven road races out of 14 starts.
The product of the Australian Super Car Series has a unique style on the pedals, which might explain some of his edge. He uses his heels and toes to work the pedals simultaneously. Whatever the reason, he is faster entering and exiting turns. The edge is noticeable. And he makes passes in sections of tracks where other drivers wouldn’t even attempt a move.
And while there are other strong road racers in NASCAR, there is only one Shane van Gisbergen.
He was already dominating the Watkins Glen race when he made a mistake. Almost the entire field pitted on lap 60 under a caution flag. SVG did not, gambling that there would be another yellow flag later. There was not. So he was forced to pit 16 laps later under the green, dropping him deep into the back of the pack.
After questioning his team’s pit strategy, SVG went to work. Over the radio, the driver told his crew all he wanted to know was the number of laps to go and the distance to the lead. It was an incredible charge.
“The best feeling you can have,” SVG said afterwards, “is to have a tire advantage and an awesome car. I was just carving everyone up. Some people moved over. The drivers who didn’t, you had to put moves on them. Yeah, that’s the most fun.
“Then, when you know it’s going to happen, those are the best moments you can have as a driver.”
With around 15 laps to go, SVG passed one car to the inside of a turn. Two laps later, he passed another car on the outside of the same turn. And it didn’t take him 24 laps to make up the 29.2-second deficit. He took the lead with seven laps to go, easing up to cruise to the win.
Shane Van Gisbergen (97) does a burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, May 10, 2026, in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Now comes the kicker. There isn’t another road course on the NASCAR Cup schedule before Coronado. And that temporary street course will have 16 turns spread over 3.4 miles. The more turns, the more opportunities for SVG to shine.
“Given the significance of the event and the venue, I think SVG will be looking to put on a show and make a statement at Coronado,” former driver and commentator Kurt Busch said earlier this week. “It’s a race, so a lot of drivers will have a shot. But SVG does some special things.”
Which could make Coronado an event for the banked track of the memory.