Shane van Gisbergen to become full-time Cup Series driver in 2025

On Saturday, Trackhouse Racing announced that van Gisbergen will join their Cup Series lineup as a third driver next season. van Gisbergen has run six Cup races so far in his career, including his debut win at Chicago on July of 2023. 

van Gisbergen will drive the No. 88 car, marking the first time the No. 88 car will run in the Cup Series since 2020. 

van Gisbergen will run seven of the final 12 Cup Series races of 2024, including Saturday's Coke Zero Sugar 400. van Gisbergen will also make starts at Darlington, Atlanta, Watkins Glen, Talladega, Las Vegas and Martinsville. 

van Gisbergen is in the midst of an impressive rookie season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he's won three races and currently sits 12th in the Xfinity Series points standings after 22 races. 

At 35 years old, van Gisbergen isn't the youngest prospect, but his adaptiveness and road-course acumen are second to none. He likely won't be a championship contender right away, but then again, he wasn't supposed to win in his first NASCAR start, either. 

van Gisbergen hasn't taken the routine route to a full-time Cup Series ride, which is part of the reason why he's so intriguing. In a sport beginning to develop a personality problem, van Gisbergen is a breath of fresh air, pumping a brand new personality into a rather stale garage area. 

van Gisbergen will make his first Cup Series start at Daytona on Saturday in the Coke Zero Sugar 400. The green flag will fly shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET, with coverage on NBC, Peacock, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.