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By the People, for the People
SVG Enters Daytona Hoping Oval Gains Continue
After a dominant rookie year on road courses, improvement on ovals is the next step.
Published on Feb. 13, 2026
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Shane van Gisbergen, a certified superstar in road-course racing, is looking to improve his performance on ovals as he enters his second full season in the NASCAR Cup Series. In his rookie year, van Gisbergen won five times on road courses, including a dominant victory in Mexico City, but struggled on ovals, with his best finish being 10th at Kansas Speedway. However, van Gisbergen says he has been making steady progress on ovals, with his average finish improving from 29.6 in the first 10 oval races to 22.3 in the final 10 oval races of the 2025 season.
Why it matters
Van Gisbergen's ability to adapt to oval racing will be crucial to his long-term success in NASCAR. While he has proven to be a dominant force on road courses, the majority of the Cup Series schedule consists of oval tracks, so van Gisbergen will need to continue improving his oval skills to contend for championships.
The details
Van Gisbergen, a former superstar in road-course racing, is entering his second full season in the NASCAR Cup Series. In his rookie year, he won five times on road courses, including a 16.56-second beatdown at Mexico City that was the biggest margin of victory in the Cup Series in 46 years. However, his best finish on ovals was a 10th-place run at Kansas Speedway. As he approaches the start of the 2026 season, van Gisbergen is anticipating improvement on ovals, and a comparison of his performance in the first 10 oval races versus the final 10 oval races of 2025 shows that he was making steady progress, with his average finish improving from 29.6 to 22.3.
- In the first 10 oval races of 2025, van Gisbergen had an average finish of 29.6.
- Over the final 10 oval races of 2025, van Gisbergen averaged a finish of 22.3.
The players
Shane van Gisbergen
A certified superstar in road-course racing who is entering his second full season in the NASCAR Cup Series.
What they’re saying
“We were just getting better and better. I think we had some races where we had better speed than that, but I didn't get it right or we got crashed out or something. I felt like we were getting toward the top-10 more often than not at the end, which was really cool.”
— Shane van Gisbergen (autoweek.com)
“It's all on the racetrack. You can do some sim stuff, but I don't feel it really helps me.”
— Shane van Gisbergen (autoweek.com)
“I feel like it's just a work in progress. I feel like I'm just getting better and better. So hopefully it keeps getting better. I still feel like I learn a lot every weekend. When that stops, that's when it gets harder, I guess.”
— Shane van Gisbergen (autoweek.com)
The takeaway
Van Gisbergen's ability to adapt to oval racing will be crucial to his long-term success in NASCAR. While he has proven to be a dominant force on road courses, the majority of the Cup Series schedule consists of oval tracks, so van Gisbergen will need to continue improving his oval skills to contend for championships.
