“It’ll be nice to prove people wrong”: Shane van Gisbergen sets the record straight on being written off as a championship candidate

Trackhouse Racing driver Shane van Gisbergen featured in an interview with Racer.com ahead of this weekend's first playoff race, the Cook Out Southern 500. During the interaction, van Gisbergen gave a straight answer to the critics and aimed to "prove people wrong."

The New Zealand-based driver debuted in the Cup Series in 2023 with Trackhouse Racing and competed in two races. Two years later, in 2025, van Gisbergen made his full-time Cup Series debut with the team, showcasing his remarkable skills. Despite being in his rookie season, he became the second Trackhouse Racing driver to secure his spot after winning the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez race earlier this season.

Shane van Gisbergen claimed to stay 'level-headed and take it week by week.' Additionally, NASCAR named him the 'Rookie of the Year', as no rookie can match his points difference as the postseason kicks off. Despite a phenomenal performance in the 2025 season, many still are writing him off as a 'candidate to advance.'

Reflecting on the same, the Trackhouse Racing driver subtly replied (via Racer.com):

“It doesn’t worry us. It puts no pressure on us, right? If we have a good week this week, it takes the next few harder. But if we have a tough week, it puts us in a hole, and it’s going to be hard to get out of it."

“Hopefully, it’ll be nice to prove people wrong,” he added.

Shane van Gisbergen needs to steer clear in the round of 16, as the races are scheduled on oval tracks, and he struggled earlier this year. However, the next round is just right up his alley, as the races are scheduled on road courses.

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“We’ve gotten a ton better”: Shane van Gisbergen’s crew chief got candid about the Trackhouse star’s oval program

Earlier this month, NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane van Gisbergen's crew chief, Stephen Doran, sat down with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 for an interview. During the interaction, Doran opened up about Gisbergen's performance at oval tracks.

The former Supercar Racing champion never competed on oval tracks in his career before 2024. He struggled on the tracks earlier this year, and he overcame his challenges by actively participating in the events held at oval tracks to improve his performance. His hard work paid off well, and he secured his first win at the oval track in the Legends Car at Charlotte Motor Speedway in July 2025.

Shane van Gisbergen's crew chief cited the example of Iowa Speedway and explained (via X):

"He's equally as good of a student on the ovals, and I think you've seen the progress from the beginning of the year until now. Really, I think since in the All-Star race, our oval program has continued to get better. Even in Iowa, we had a really good race going, gotten the fence, got the car fixed, and he drove back through the field to 16th with a kind of dinged-up race car, and then ended up getting wrecked again towards the end."

Shane van Gisbergen currently ranks sixth in the Cup Series points table with 2022 points. In 26 starts this season, he has secured four wins, five top-10finishes, four top-five finishes, and three pole positions. Additionally, he has led 252 laps with an average finish of 21.077.