Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane Van Gisbergen Bio

Shane Robert van Gisbergen, born on 9 May 1989 in Auckland, New Zealand, is a professional racing driver widely known by the initials SVG and the nickname “The Giz.” Standing 187 centimeters tall and weighing around 80 kilograms, he competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 97 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing, while also running part-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for JR Motorsports. A three-time Supercars Champion, van Gisbergen built his reputation in Australia and New Zealand before taking NASCAR by storm with a victory in his very first Cup Series start.

Beyond his three Supercars titles, van Gisbergen is celebrated for his remarkable 80 wins and 46 pole positions in the Supercars Championship, placing him fourth on the all-time wins list. He also owns three Bathurst 1000 victories, captured in 2020, 2022, and 2023, making him one of the most accomplished touring car drivers of his generation. His transition to NASCAR has been equally historic, as he became the first New Zealander to win a Cup Series race and the winningest non-American driver in series history.

Early Life and Background

Shane Robert van Gisbergen was born on 9 May 1989 in Auckland, New Zealand, to Robert van Gisbergen and Karen Wallace. Growing up in a country with a deep passion for motorsports, he was introduced to racing at a young age through motocross, quarter midgets, and karts, which he competed in from 1998 to 2004. These early experiences laid the foundation for his career and helped him develop the car control and race craft that would later define his driving style.

Van Gisbergen’s formal racing career began to take shape when he secured a Speedsport Star of Tomorrow Scholarship, a program designed to identify and support promising young New Zealand drivers. He placed third in the 2004-2005 New Zealand Formula First Championship and won the Rookie of the Year award, signaling his arrival as a serious talent. The following season, he captured the 2005-2006 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship title along with another Rookie of the Year honor, before finishing second in the 2006-2007 Toyota Racing Series.

Outside of open-wheel racing, van Gisbergen continued to broaden his experience in touring cars. In 2014, he co-drove to the BNT NZ Supertourers Hankook Super Series championship with Simon Evans, winning seven of the nine endurance races. His success on both sides of the Tasman Sea helped establish him as one of the most versatile drivers in the Southern Hemisphere.

Path to NASCAR

Van Gisbergen’s journey toward NASCAR was built on years of success in the Supercars Championship and international GT racing. After winning three Bathurst 1000 titles and three Supercars drivers’ championships with Triple Eight Race Engineering, he had cemented his status as one of the greatest touring car drivers of his era. His stock car breakthrough came through Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 program, a special initiative designed to give international road course aces a chance to compete at the top level of NASCAR.

The opportunity arrived in dramatic fashion. On 18 May 2023, Trackhouse announced that van Gisbergen would drive the No. 91 Chevrolet at the inaugural Chicago Street Race. Just a few months later, on 14 September 2023, the team revealed a broader development deal that would see him run part-time across all three of NASCAR’s national series in 2024. That plan laid the groundwork for his eventual full-time move to the Cup Series in 2025.

Shane Van Gisbergen Career

Early Career (2007-2012)

Van Gisbergen made his V8 Supercars debut with Team Kiwi Racing at the 2007 Jim Beam 400 at Oran Park Raceway, becoming the 200th driver to start a race in the championship. His performances were strong enough to earn a ride with Stone Brothers Racing in 2008, where he spent five seasons and built a reputation as a fast but occasionally luckless driver. His best championship result with Stone Brothers came in 2011, when he finished fourth overall.

In late 2012, van Gisbergen announced he was leaving the championship, but the move was complicated when Erebus Motorsport, which had purchased Stone Brothers Racing, took legal action over his contract. He eventually resurfaced at Tekno Autosports for the 2013 season and immediately delivered results, finishing as the championship runner-up in 2014. That breakthrough campaign showed the speed and consistency he had long promised, including a pole position at the 2014 Bathurst 1000.

Supercars Championship Breakthrough (2016-2022)

In 2016, Van Gisbergen joined an expanded Triple Eight Race Engineering team alongside Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes, and the move changed the trajectory of his career. He won his first race for Triple Eight at the Tasmania SuperSprint and went on to claim his first Supercars drivers’ championship that same season. He also won the Enduro Cup with co-driver Alexandre Prémat, including a victory at the 2016 Castrol Gold Coast 600, making them the first non-Australian pairing to win that title.

Van Gisbergen added a second Supercars title in 2021 and a third in 2022, the latter capped by an emotional Bathurst 1000 win with co-driver Garth Tander. The 2022 Bathurst triumph was also the final race for Holden in the championship, giving the moment extra historical weight. A year later, in 2023, he captured his third Bathurst 1000 alongside Richie Stanaway, becoming only the second driver, along with Paul Morris, to win all three major car races at Mount Panorama: the Bathurst 1000, Bathurst 6 Hour, and Bathurst 12 Hour.

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Breakthrough (2024-Present)

Van Gisbergen began his NASCAR Xfinity Series career in 2024 with Kaulig Racing, driving the No. 97 full-time. He opened the season with a twelfth place finish at Daytona, then strung together a remarkable stretch of road course results. He scored his first two Xfinity Series wins on back-to-back weekends at Portland and Sonoma, then added a third victory on his return to the Chicago Street Course. Despite being knocked out of the first round of the playoffs, his rookie season established him as one of the strongest road course talents in the field.

In 2025, Van Gisbergen moved to JR Motorsports, driving the No. 9 Chevrolet part-time. He opened his JR Motorsports account with a win at the Chicago street course after holding off teammate Connor Zilisch. A second-place finish at Sonoma and a strong showing at Watkins Glen followed. Entering 2026, he returned to the No. 9 for select O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races, scoring a victory at Austin in his first start of the new season.

NASCAR Cup Series Era (2025-Present)

On 24 August 2024, Trackhouse Racing announced that Van Gisbergen would drive full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025, taking over the No. 88 Chevrolet. He opened the year with a 33rd-place finish at the Daytona 500 and struggled through the early part of the regular season, posting only one top-ten finish in the first fifteen races. The tide turned at Mexico City, where he dominated by sixteen seconds to lock in a playoff spot. He followed that with three straight road course victories at Chicago, Sonoma, and Watkins Glen, tying him with Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson for most wins by a Cup rookie in a single season.

Although he was eliminated from the playoffs after Bristol, Van Gisbergen closed the 2025 season strong with a fifth consecutive road course win at the Charlotte Roval. In 2026, he returned to Trackhouse for a second full-time season, this time driving the No. 97 Chevrolet. He opened the year with a 30th-place finish at the Daytona 500 and quickly answered with a win at Watkins Glen. Entering 2025 as his target season, van Gisbergen had already established himself as one of NASCAR’s most exciting new stars.

Driving Style and Strengths

Van Gisbergen is widely regarded as one of the most talented road course drivers in NASCAR, with a calm and precise style well suited to long races and complex circuits. His background in Supercars and international GT racing gives him an unusually smooth approach to braking zones and tire management, which has helped him excel on tracks like Watkins Glen, Sonoma, and the Chicago Street Course. He pairs that race craft with strong strategic thinking and the patience needed to capitalize on late-race restarts, a combination that has made him especially dangerous in NASCAR Overtime situations.

Notable Races and Milestones

Van Gisbergen’s most iconic moment remains his 2023 Cup Series debut at the Chicago Street Course, where he became the first driver in the modern era to win his first NASCAR Cup Series start. His three consecutive road course wins in 2025, at Mexico City, Chicago, and Sonoma, plus a fourth at Watkins Glen, marked him as the winningest rookie in a single Cup Series season. His 2024 Watkins Glen duel with Chris Buescher, lost on the final lap after leading, set up his emotional redemption win at the same track a year later.

Shane Van Gisbergen Career Wins

Across all major series, Shane Van Gisbergen has built one of the most decorated résumés in modern motorsports, with verified victory totals of 80 wins in the Supercars Championship, multiple NASCAR Cup Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins, and three Bathurst 1000 triumphs. His success spans touring cars, GT racing, and stock cars, making him one of the few drivers to win at the highest level on three different continents.

Supercars Championship Highlights

Van Gisbergen finished his Supercars Championship career with 80 wins, 46 pole positions, and 176 podiums from 508 race starts, placing him fourth on the all-time wins list. His three drivers’ championships came in 2016, 2021, and 2022, all with Triple Eight Race Engineering. His three Bathurst 1000 victories came in 2020, 2022, and 2023, and he remains, along with Paul Morris, one of only two drivers to have won all three major Mount Panorama car races.

Other Wins and Performances

In GT racing, Van Gisbergen won the 2016 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour alongside Alvaro Parente and Jonathon Webb in a McLaren 650S GT3, and he also won the 2016 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup with Côme Ledogar and Rob Bell. He finished second in the GTD class at the 2015 24 Hours of Daytona and third overall in the 2016 Intercontinental GT Challenge. In NASCAR, he has recorded multiple wins in the Cup Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, with no verified wins in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Shane Van Gisbergen Family

Family Background and Racing Lineage

Shane Robert van Gisbergen was born to Robert van Gisbergen and Karen Wallace, and grew up in Auckland, New Zealand, surrounded by a strong interest in motorsports. His family supported his early progression through karts, quarter midgets, and motocross before he moved into formula car racing. That foundation helped him become one of the most accomplished New Zealand racing drivers of his generation.

Personal Life

Van Gisbergen married Jessica Dane in 2025, and she is the current program manager at Corvette Racing. Jessica and her father, Roland Dane, are former co-owners of Triple Eight Race Engineering, the team where Van Gisbergen won all three of his Supercars Championship titles. Their connection to the racing world has given Van Gisbergen a deep understanding of team operations at the highest level.

2025 Season Performance

The 2025 season marked Shane Van Gisbergen’s first full-time year in the NASCAR Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing, and it became one of the most memorable rookie campaigns in recent memory. After a rough opening stretch that included a 33rd-place finish at the Daytona 500, he found his rhythm on road courses. A dominant win at Mexico City by sixteen seconds secured his playoff spot, and he followed it with three straight victories at Chicago, Sonoma, and Watkins Glen, tying the all-time rookie single-season win record.

Despite being eliminated from the playoffs after the Bristol race, Van Gisbergen closed the season with a fifth consecutive road course win at the Charlotte Roval, reinforcing his status as the top road course driver in the Cup garage. In the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, he added another win at the Chicago street course for JR Motorsports while juggling his Cup commitments. His 2025 results cemented him as a cornerstone of Trackhouse Racing’s future plans.

Looking ahead, Van Gisbergen’s partnership with Trackhouse Racing is built on a long-term development plan that began with the Project 91 program in 2023. His ability to win on a variety of road courses, paired with growing comfort on ovals, gives him a strong foundation for continued success. With the team’s continued investment and his proven road course mastery, Van Gisbergen enters 2026 as one of the most intriguing drivers to watch in the NASCAR Cup Series.