NASCAR insiders break down Shane van Gisbergen's Roval weekend

Shane van Gisbergen impressed during his time at the Charlotte Roval over the weekend, even he netted uneven results during both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Cup Series races.

The New Zealander notched both poles in qualifying, but he couldn’t put it all together on race day, ending up eliminated from the Xfinity Series Playoffs with his finish on Saturday, and coming home P7 on Sunday in the Cup Series. Not too shabby, but many believed he’d be racing for the win on both days.

Following the weekend that was for van Gisbergen, NASCAR insiders Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi evaluated his performance, and what it means going forward for the future full-time Cup Series wheelman.

“Speaking of SVG, you know, he won both poles, and it was setting up like, ‘Could he sweep the weekend?’ I guess it’s just one of those things where it’s harder — I mean, as he was, as talented as he is, it’s still hard to just go out and win these races,” Gluck said, via the latest episode of The Teardown. “… [A.J.] Allmendinger actually got the better of him today by one spot, but still, they were coming on strong late. You know, SVG had gotten spun at one point.

“I wonder if SVG feels like, ‘Man, I’m getting the full NASCAR experience here.’ He got eliminated in a tough way on Saturday, and you know, fast cars, he’s so talented, but again, with all the cautions and strategy and all that stuff, you’ve got to put it all together, I suppose.”

While van Gisbergen has looked unbeatable at times on road courses, Bianchi elaborated on how his recent struggles show how difficult it is to put it all together and win a NASCAR race, and he believes we could see an even more aggressive SVG in 2025.

“You need a lot of things to work in your favor,” Bianchi responded, regarding the difficulties of winning at the Cup Series level. “… A lot has to come your way. It feels like he’s been — he’s kind of been used up, it feels like, sometimes this year. I don’t say guys are taking advantage of them, but as he’s adapting to the culture of stock-car racing here in America, it’s like — there’s been moments where you’re like, guys are really not hesitant to put a bumper to him and be aggressive around him. I think, for the most part, he’s been, I really don’t recall a moment where you’re like, ‘Oh man, he’s being real forceful here.’ I guess maybe Austin Hill at Sonoma, but that, to me, was more hard racing than anything. It wasn’t like he used up Hill or anything to that level.

“You kind of wonder if this is going to evolve a little bit, as he gets more acclimated to this and says, ‘All right, I’m going to have to modify this, and now I’m gonna have to stop being pushed around,’ and that’s just how it is. That’s kind of the maturation process that any rookie driver goes through.”

After racing full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2024, Shane van Gisbergen will move to the Cup Series in 2025 with Trackhouse Racing, and the hype is through the roof. If he can put it all together with some extra time to work this offseason, the New Zealander could dominate at times next season.