Jeff Gordon and Chase Elliott’s elite road course club faces new challenge from Shane van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen is set to challenge Jeff Gordon and Chase Elliott on four consecutive road or street course race wins. The Trackhouse Racing driver has the chance to become the only third Cup driver with four straight wins going into Watkins Glen International on Sunday (August 10).

Elliott built one of the most dominant road course streaks in modern NASCAR. He won back-to-back victories at Watkins Glen International, Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and Daytona International Speedway’s road course from 2019 to 2020. However, Gordon holds the all-time record of six straight road course victories at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen, between 1997 and 2000.

Another driver managed four straight road course wins when the Cup Series was called the Grand National Series. Dan Gurney triumphed at Riverside from 1963 to 1966, and again in 1968.

SVG entered the Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing's Project 91. He became the first driver in more than 60 years to win on his first Cup start at the 2023 Chicago Street Race. This season, he won the series' first international points race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. The 35-year-old from New Zealand later followed that up with victories on the streets of downtown Chicago and at Sonoma Raceway.

If van Gisbergen wins at Watkins Glen, he will also tie Denny Hamlin for the series lead in victories this year. Last year, he appeared on his way to victory at the 2.45-mile road course before Chris Buescher passed him on the final lap.

"He's a student" - Trackhouse owner on Shane van Gisbergen's dedication to improve on ovals

Shane van Gisbergen set a new record for most street course wins in a single season. However, he is yet to score a top-10 finish on an oval in the Cup Series.

During a recent press conference, Trackhouse Raving owner, Justin Marks commented on van Gisbergen's commitment and focus on making progress on ovals. He pointed out that the No. 88 Chevy driver has embraced the technical side of learning how cars are built and how to make them fast in NASCAR.

"Shane van Gisbergen's just proven very very quickly that he likes to live in that area, that bubble of just really understanding all the technical details, understanding how the cars are built, and just what it takes to go fast," Justin Marks said (via Bob Pockrass).

"He's a student, and he watches tape, and he watches the races, and looks at the data, and asks the questions of why. And I think that this day and age, at this level, that level of commitment, that level of focus, and that level of intelligence are real factors in being successful. He just demonstrated that from the first time he showed up at Chicago in '23," Marks added.

Before NASCAR, Shane van Gisbergen was one of the most successful drivers in Australian Supercars history. He won three championships and more than 80 races.