Success in NASCAR is also about the chemistry between teammates, the willingness to share knowledge, and elevate everyone in the garage. At Trackhouse Racing, this philosophy has created something special. When Shane van Gisbergen struggled to a disappointing 31st-place finish at Iowa Speedway, he didn’t focus on his own frustrations.
Instead, he turned the spotlight on his teammate Ross Chastain’s exceptional performance, proving that true champions understand the power of unity over individual glory.
How Has Ross Chastain Accelerated Shane van Gisbergen’s NASCAR Growth?
Unlike most garages, where internal rivalries simmer beneath the surface, Trackhouse Racing operates as a unified front. Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, and Shane van Gisbergen continue to demonstrate what genuine camaraderie looks like in professional motorsports. This bond has become especially crucial for van Gisbergen’s development.
While the former Supercars champion has proven to be a force to be reckoned with on road and street courses, adapting to NASCAR’s ovals has presented a steep learning curve.
That’s where Chastain’s mentorship has made the difference.
During a recent exclusive interview, the Red Bull Racing driver opened up about how his teammates, particularly Chastain, have accelerated his growth and established a performance benchmark within NASCAR’s demanding environment.
Reflecting on this improvement, van Gisbergen attributed the performance bump directly to his teammates’ influence and support.
“As a team, some weeks I felt like I drove pretty well, and I was still 30th, but Ross (Chastain) was 31st or 29th,” van Gisbergen explained.
“Well, Ross and Daniel (Suarez), we’d struggle as a team, you know. So, I felt like we were getting there, and then as our team is getting better. We’re learning a bit more, our oval cars are getting better, I’m kind of creeping up there with it,” he said during his conversation with Corey LaJoie on the “Stacking Pennies” podcast.
However, it was van Gisbergen’s praise for Chastain that truly captured attention. The New Zealand driver highlighted the Alva native’s exceptional restart prowess and his remarkable ability to elevate not just his own performance, but the entire team’s capabilities.
“And Ross has got some amazing ability on restarts and his positioning to get a top-10 result with a 25th-place car,” van Gisbergen observed.
“He’s exceptional, very good, so I’m just trying to benchmark to him and Daniel, but I feel like as a team we’ve gotten better, and like my average running positions now, inside the top 20, or my pace is in the 20s now. So, it’s been a huge gain on the ovals and only getting better too,” he added, highlighting Chastain’s influence.
MORE: Shane Van Gisbergen Leans on Ross Chastain’s Racecraft To Unlock His Own NASCAR Oval Potential
The season has marked a transformative year for SVG. After conquering Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the 36-year-old followed it up with back-to-back victories at Chicago and Sonoma. Although his wins came at road courses, the key takeaway has been van Gisbergen’s dramatically improved performance on ovals.
From average running times to track positions and overall pace, the No. 88 Chevrolet has shown noticeable progress throughout the campaign. As van Gisbergen continues to find his footing on NASCAR’s challenging oval tracks, the collective strength and knowledge sharing within Trackhouse Racing have proven vital to his ongoing evolution.