Shane van Gisbergen's Roval quest could move him within one of Jeff Gordon's legendary road course streaks

Shane van Gisbergen will head to the Bank of America Roval 400 chasing history. The Trackhouse Racing rookie has won the last four Cup Series road course races, putting him on the brink of Jeff Gordon’s iconic streak of six straight.

A fifth win Sunday would bring him within one of the Hall of Famer, in what has already been one of the strongest rookie seasons in NASCAR history. The three-time Supercars champion has adapted quickly since joining Trackhouse full-time in 2025. After running part-time in the Kaulig Racing No. 16 car last year, SVG took over Trackhouse’s No. 88 entry this season.

The results have been immediate: four wins, three poles, and six top-10s, five of those coming on road courses. Shane van Gisbergen’s streak began after a sixth-place run at COTA. Since then, he hasn’t lost on a road or street course. Each victory has highlighted his control on technical tracks, dominating in Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma, and Watkins Glen.

Shane van Gisbergen (L) at Sonoma and Jeff Gordon at Martinsville Speedway in 2015. Source: Imagn

Jeff Gordon’s mark of six straight road course wins came between Watkins Glen in 1997 and Sonoma in 2000, a record that has stood for nearly a quarter century. Gordon is also the all-time road course leader with nine wins in 47 starts, while Chase Elliott leads active drivers with seven, two of those at the Charlotte Roval.

SVG, with five wins in just 11 starts, has built a strike rate no one has matched at this stage. He has led more than half the laps run on road courses this year, and two of his four wins came by double-digit margins - 16.5 seconds in Mexico City and 11.1 seconds at Watkins Glen. His average finish of 2.0 on road courses shows just how hard he has been to beat this year.

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Shane van Gisbergen hopes for 'a good weekend' in his Charlotte Roval return

Shane Van Gisbergen (13) leads in the 2024 Bank of America ROVAL 400. Source: Imagn

Shane van Gisbergen’s progress hasn’t been limited to road courses. Last week at Kansas, he scored his first career top-10 on an oval, finishing 10th in a sign of broader growth. Though eliminated from the playoffs in the Round of 16, he sits 14th in the standings with 2086 points, still in reach of 13th as the season winds down.

Now comes the Charlotte Roval, 109 laps around one of NASCAR’s most unique layouts. SVG claimed the pole there in 2024 before finishing seventh. With no playoff pressure this time, he returns as one of the weekend favorites. Speaking after Kansas, he said via Nikolai P. Culp how he was feeling before the race:

"Yeah, good. And in a track I’ve been to before. I went well there last year. So yeah, hopefully a good weekend and try and help the one (Ross Chastain) this week and make sure he’s good to get through next weekend."

Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain enters the race in a tough spot, sitting 13 points below the elimination line with Joey Logano +13 on the cutline and Chase Briscoe +21 in seventh. The Roval has never been Chastain’s best track, with a 24.0 average finish. SVG winning as a non-playoff driver could shake up the playoff picture, but Chastain still needs a solid run to advance.

As the field prepares for the Round of 12 eliminator, all eyes will be on the No. 88. Shane van Gisbergen’s streak has already redefined what a rookie can achieve in NASCAR. A fifth straight road course win would push him to the edge of Jeff Gordon’s record and confirm that he is the new 'road course king.'