Shane van Gisbergen's immense improvement no longer a hypothetical

Shane van Gisbergen is arguably NASCAR's most improved driver through the first seven races of 2026. 

The 36-year-old road course ace from Auckland, New Zealand, entered the 2026 campaign with one question looming: would he be better at ovals? 

If he wanted to contend for a Chase berth and a title in the future, the answer would have to be yes. So far, it is. 

Through six oval races this season, van Gisbergen has four top-15 finishes. He led three laps and ran inside the top 10 in the season-opening Daytona 500 before being caught up in a crash and suffering early damage on the opening lap at Las Vegas that relegated him to a 36th-place finish. 

But in the four other oval races at Atlanta, Phoenix, Darlington and Martinsville, van Gisbergen has finishes of sixth, 11th, 14th and 11th. Add in a runner-up at Circuit of the Americas, and you have a driver who is 14th in the Cup Series standings and looking like a contender for a postseason slot. 

Is SVG the new top dog at Trackhouse?

SVG's improvement from 2025 to 2026 is even more noticeable when you compare his results to those of his Trackhouse Racing teammate in Ross Chastain. 

Not only is Chastain five spots below van Gisbergen in the standings, but he only has one top-15 on the season — a third-place result at Atlanta. He's finished behind van Gisbergen in five of the seven races so far. 

Chastain and the No. 1 team have certainly struggled to start the year, leaving van Gisbergen and the No. 97 group to take up the mantle at Trackhouse, especially as rookie Connor Zilisch goes through the inevitable growing pains of his first Cup Series season. 

It's still very early, but so far, van Gisbergen is playing the part of the exemplary student well as he continues to traverse the NASCAR Cup Series.