Shane van Gisbergen made a significant mark in NASCAR history by winning the Playoff race at the Charlotte Roval on Sunday, becoming the first internationally born driver to accumulate 10 combined victories across NASCAR’s three national touring series. This milestone highlights van Gisbergen’s rising influence in the sport as a New Zealand native making waves in American stock car racing.
Van Gisbergen’s victory at Charlotte was his sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series, adding to his four wins in the Xfinity Series. Although he has only participated in one Truck Series race, finishing 18th, his success across these top NASCAR divisions underscores his versatility and skill. This season alone, five of his six Cup Series wins have come, putting him alongside Denny Hamlin as the only drivers with at least five wins in the current campaign.
Van Gisbergen Reflects on His Tough Battle at the Charlotte Roval
In his post-race press conference, Shane van Gisbergen detailed the intense competition he faced, especially his duel with Kyle Larson.
“Yeah, I always enjoy a battle, but you also want to win by half a minute as well, you know, but yeah, I was having fun in that battle,”
he said. Van Gisbergen also shared the frustration he felt early in the last stage but made clear that he found it rewarding to learn from his rivals.
“Especially, it was frustrating at the start of the last stage when they passed me, but it’s still enjoyable. Then, trying to understand how to be better, and I was trying to study them, see what they were doing better to me, so yeah, battling like that is a lot of fun, but you also want to win easily too.”
While all of van Gisbergen’s Cup victories have occurred on road courses, his performance on ovals has been developing steadily. After struggling early in the season, the 36-year-old showed progress with a tenth-place finish at the Kansas race last week, signaling growth in his adaptability across NASCAR’s diverse track formats.
Adapting Skills for a Diverse NASCAR Playoff Run
Van Gisbergen expressed a commitment to continuous improvement, acknowledging the challenges of NASCAR’s varied circuits as the season progresses.
“I feel like every race weekend I’m learning something. Even on a road course. These next few weeks are a contrast of tracks,”
he remarked. He emphasized the difficulty of transitioning between different track types, explaining,
“That’s the hard part, where you’ve got to transition from the mile and a half to the short track or superspeedway. It’s going to be a pretty crazy finish to the year. But, yeah, I need to be better at all disciplines of what NASCAR Cup racing is. That will help us do better in the playoffs next year.”
Van Gisbergen’s breakthrough at Charlotte not only adds to his growing list of accomplishments but also illustrates the increasing globalization of NASCAR talent. His success is likely to inspire other international drivers and shift perceptions within the sport, potentially impacting future competition as the playoffs intensify toward the season’s conclusion.
With his 6th career @NASCAR Cup Series win today Shane van Gisbergen is the FIRST internationally born driver to earn 10 combined wins across NASCAR's 3 National Touring Series.#NASCAR | #BofAROVAL | #NASCARPlayoffs | @jeff_gluck | #SuperCars | #RepcoSC pic.twitter.com/lOYGQuFUWO
— Seth Eggert (@SethEggert91) October 5, 2025
