Shane van Gisbergen dubs racing a 'holiday' after cementing his legacy as the winningest foreign-born driver

NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane van Gisbergen has solidified his name once again after winning the Chicago Street Course race. Van Gisbergen won both the Xfinity and Cup Series events at the track, and following that, he shared his thoughts on his performance at the street course.

The New Zealand-based driver showcased his remarkable performance from the qualifying session. He secured the pole position with a best time of 89.66 seconds and a top speed of 88.34 mph. However, he struggled during the initial stages of the race and fell outside of the top 10 drivers in Stages 1 and 2. However, he recovered in the final stage and took home his second win at the Chicago Street Course in the Cup Series.

The Grant 165 marked Shane van Gisbergen's third win in the Cup Series, followed by four additional wins in the Xfinity Series, making him the winningest foreign NASCAR driver. Reflecting on the Auckland native's success in NASCAR, the stock car racing journalist asked the Trackhouse Racing driver's reaction when he hears the same.

"Yeah, that's a very special stat. You know, that's why I'm here, I guess. Justin took a massive chance on me to bring me over. And as I've said many times, these races are like a holiday to me. It's the ovals where I'm really focused and getting better and better. And I come here and there's no stress. People probably think there's more stress and expectation on us, but I kind of just get excited by it and love driving," stated the #88 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver [00:22 onwards].

"It's the ovals where I know I'm getting better, and I'm not stressed about it and I'm not forcing it, but I love trying to progress and get better and better. But yeah, to be a foreigner here, there's not many of us who have broken into the sport and stayed here for too long. And pretty cool to be here, that's for sure," he added.

Shane van Gisbergen is set to return to the track on July 13, 2025, for Challenge Round 3, Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. TNT Sports, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90, and MAX will broadcast the 110-lap event live at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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Shane van Gisbergen got candid about his teammate Ross Chastain's leadership alongside his team's weakness in the 2025 season

Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain became the team's first driver to secure a win in the 2025 season. He pulled a last-minute maneuver on Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron, keeping him from his second win of the season at the crown jewel event, the Coca-Cola 600.

Chastain became the first driver from Trackhouse Racing to land a spot for the 2025 playoffs. Reflecting on the same, Shane van Gisbergen shared his thoughts and stated [00:25]:

"I think he's the top guy here, and Daniel's pretty close as well, like everyone's pushing really hard, they're race-winning drivers. Then we're qualifying mid 20s and in the 30s every week. So you know, and still qualifying, we're not great."

Shane van Gisbergen ranks 27th on the Cup Series points table with 308 points. Additionally, he has secured two wins, three top-10 finishes, two top-five finishes, and two pole positions in 19 starts this season.