Is Shane van Gisbergen the best road-course racer NASCAR has ever seen?

As NASCAR has evolved over the years, so too has road-course racing's role in the sport. 

From the Linden, N.J., airport to Watkins Glen, N.Y., to the streets of Chicago, road-course racing has always been an integral part of NASCAR — but never more than the modern day, when six road-course races make up one-sixth of NASCAR's 36-race schedule. 

Between Sonoma and Watkins Glen — the only two road courses that occupied the Cup Series schedule for years — Jeff Gordon holds the record for road-course wins with nine. Tony Stewart won eight road-course events, while Chase Elliott leads all active drivers with seven road-course victories. 

After notching his third career NASCAR Cup Series win at the Chicago Street Course on Sunday, many are wondering if Shane van Gisbergen will climb his way to the top of that list — and one individual in particular believes van Gisbergen is the best road-course racer that NASCAR has ever seen. 

"I don't want to jump the gun, but he's the best road-course stock-car racer that I've ever seen," said Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks in a news conference on Sunday. "I think when he's done with this and walks away from this sport, he's going to walk away as the best road-course racer this sport has ever seen."

With seven road-course wins between the Xfinity Series and Cup Series in just two years of NASCAR competition, van Gisbergen is well on pace to shatter the road-course records set by those that came before him. Three more road courses — including next weekend's Xfinity and Cup Series races at Sonoma Raceway — remain on the 2025 schedule, giving van Gisbergen the opportunity to get to six Cup Series road-course wins before the year is out. 

With how many road courses are included in modern NASCAR schedules, there is a chance that van Gisbergen could tie or break Gordon's record by the end of the 2026 Cup Series season. 

But even if van Gisbergen were to walk away from NASCAR after 2025, he'd still boast an very impressive road-racing resume. On the Cup Series side, he's already tied with the likes of Tyler Reddick, Richard Petty, Geoff Bodine, Christopher Bell, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson and Ernie Irvan with three road-course wins in Cup Series competition — not exactly bad company to be in. 

At just 36 years old and with what seems to be steady, long-term support behind him in regards to a team and sponsors, van Gisbergen should have plenty of time to take a crack at the all-time record for road-course wins — but he may not need all the time he's allotted.