It’s been a year to remember for NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane van Gisbergen, both on and off the track.

In what is just his first full-time season in the Cup Series, where he drives the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, the 36-year-old has been absolutely dominant on road courses, winning four of the five to date and in so doing becoming the winningest Cup rookie to date. Meanwhile, the three-time Supercars Championship winner has also been honing his skills on ovals.

However, van Gisbergen recently let a major life update slip in an appearance on ‘The Day After‘ podcast, following his masterclass win at Watkins Glen, revealing that he and partner Jessica Dane secretly tied the knot.

In a subsequent interview, Dane, who manages Corvette Racing’s global program, explained that following their move from New Zealand to North Carolina during the 2023-2024 offseason, they decided to get married due to the state’s unique cohabitation laws.

“If we were still in Australia, we wouldn’t have got married,” she explained when speaking with V8 Sleuth. “It wasn’t something either of us ever really wanted to do, but as foreigners in the US, it adds a layer of security in terms of immigration law and owning property.”

The wedding itself wasn’t the most stereotypically romantic of affairs, according to Dane, who labeled it “low-key.” It ultimately took place at the Iredell County Detention Center. There they were joined by van Gisbergen’s crew chief, Stephen Doran, and Sian Allison, who served as witnesses.

Dane described it as “a pretty funny situation, to be honest,” adding, “We did everything very low-key. It was a case of finding a day that we were both in the same place at the same time, that we were able to have a day that we weren’t both in meetings or at racetracks, and where we also had two witnesses available.

“It just happened to be a Thursday, and also it had to fit in with the time that the magistrate was available. The magistrate only does weddings between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays!

“So fitting all of that together, it took a long time to find a day where we could actually do it. We found a random Thursday in July.

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“It was hilarious. Because first you have to go to the deeds register and get your marriage licence, then we had to walk across the carpark to the court and pay for a marriage certificate at the court, and then from there you walk back through the metal detectors and walk over to the prison!

“We stood there in the Iredell County Detention Center in Statesville, and we had a two-minute ceremony by a magistrate sitting behind bulletproof glass while there were inmates there to have their jumpsuits and handcuffs put on and be taken into jail.”

What’s more, the magistrate made the questionable decision to tell the newlyweds that they looked like one another, which Dane admitted was “not what you want to hear when you get married.” After the ceremony was over, they headed back outside the Detention Center to take photos, with one snap showing the happy couple fist-bumping in the parking lot with the prison behind them.

Dane noted that whilst taking photos, “A prisoner in full handcuffs and leg shackles was led by a few police officers into the jail behind us.” Once they concluded their photo session, they headed for lunch with Doran and Allison before Dane returned to work for a presentation. “So, we celebrated in style! Not really,” she joked.

While not a typical fairytale wedding, it was at the very least infinitely memorable, just as van Gisbergen’s run to the playoffs has been, with four wins in the last nine races as well as another in the Xfinity Series.