CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 06: Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet, walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Course on July 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
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In NASCAR news that would be shocking if it didn’t happen, Trackhouse Racing announced a contract extension with Shane van Gisbergen Friday.
But this isn’t a one-off dip-your-toes in the NASCAR waters deal, it’s a multiyear contract extension meaning the likable New Zealander isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It all started with a one-off race with Trackhouse’s Project91 in 2023 that ended with SVG in victory lane and set him on a course to race in NASCAR.
“I feel like Trackhouse Racing is my home,” said the 36-year-old Van Gisbergen, who’s been proclaimed the greatest NASCAR road racer in history in some circles.
“Trackhouse gave me the opportunity to race at Chicago in 2023. That was just a one-race deal, and everything that has happened since then is because of the chance Justin (Marks, Trackhouse founder and owner) took on me. The men and women at Trackhouse have helped me feel at home in this new challenge, and I’ve been loving every minute of it. We still have a lot of work to do, but I couldn’t be happier.”
The team couldn’t be happier either. After all, the former Australian Supercars champion became the first driver since Johnny Rutherford in 1963 to win his first Cup Series start.
But that win in Chicago was only just the start. After a year spent under a development contract with Trackhouse, he raced full-time with Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2024. He did make 12 Cup series starts in 2024, but Trackhouse made room for him adding a third fulltime slot on their team, and he’s rewarded them handsomely.
Since that Chicago win in 2023 he’s added three more victories, all of those coming this year in his first full time Cup season with the Trackhouse. He won the inaugural Mexico City race, the Chicago Street Race again and at Sonoma. He also grabbed a Xfinity Series victory at the Chicago Street Race, driving for JR Motorsports.
Those Cup wins pushed his career total to four victories in just 37 career races. That makes him the quickest driver to score three wins in NASCAR’s modern era. And if you’re wondering who holds the record for most road course wins in Cup history… well, he’s got that too.
With all that what NASCAR team in their right mind wouldn’t want someone of SVG’s caliber signed for many more years. After all there aren’t many drivers capable of doing what he’s done: fly halfway across the planet, learn a completely different type of racing, and still make seasoned veterans look like they’ve left the parking brake on.
“We are getting to watch one of the superstars of racing,” said team owner Justin Marks. “What we are asking him to do carries a high degree of difficulty. He’s moved to the other side of the world, learned a new form of racing and at times dominated the competition. He’s one of the greatest.”
So SVG is here to say. He’s going to be celebrating wins, kicking signed rugby balls into the stands for many years to come and keeping competitors worried on every road course on the schedule.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregengle/2025/08/08/shane-van-gisbergen-extends-nascar-stay-with-trackhouse-racing-deal/