“We’re Making Headway!” Shane van Gisbergen Over the Moon After Milestone Oval Finish at Nashville

At the age of 37, three times Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen is proving it’s not too late to learn something new, as he continues to make himself a solid NASCAR racer deserving of the Trackhouse Cup seat. The 2026 season has seen the veteran scoring stronger finishes in Ovals, which has been his major weakness from day one.

The Kiwi had his best ever in an oval last Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway, where he secured his maiden top-5 finish after an aggressive battle with Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott for the position on the final restart. He was able to even lead a couple of laps, with luck being on his side from the start of the race as he started P10, after qualifying got cancelled due to rain, and not having a break issue, which ruined the race for his two teammates early.

It was a pretty awesome day for this No. 97 Chevrolet team. Starting up front obviously helps, but it was cool to lead some laps and battle at the front. Our Chevy was running really well all night… I really enjoyed myself tonight. I learned a lot.

Shane van Gisbergen said after Nashville race.

Further talking about his performance to the media after the race, the veteran pointed out that he has become more comfortable with turns owing to the experience he has gained in Cup and also highlighted how the right strategy towards the end of the race was rewarding for the No:97 team.  Shane van Gisbergen is feeling more confident and believes their making major headway in 2026.

I learned to be comfortable moving around in (turns) one and two, which I’ve never been able to do before. We just got the balance better on the two-tire strategy. When we were on a four-tire strategy, we were lacking that. The two-tire stop at the end, we were able to get the balance back again. It was a lot of fun. It definitely feels like we’re making headway.

Shane van Gisbergen added, as reported via motorsport.com.

Shane van Gisbergen declared he has turned the season around after tough start

One key factor behind his strong run was the extra grip he was able to find with just tow fresh set of tires and playing the aero to take the lead helped him enjoy the race as well. It was an overall significant run that he want forgot for sometimes.  

It was fun and I was surprised how much grip we had on the two tires. It was cool to try to put myself in a good spot and [put] air on him in a bad spot. It was cool to battle. I took back the lead at one point; it was really fun.

Shane van Gisbergen said.

Further talking about the point, the veteran racer admitted that he is getting his season back on track, as the last month has been tough on him. With Ross Chastain and Connor Zilisch struggling, its SVG that is keeping Trackhouse’ hopes high.

We had a bad couple of months and a few weeks ago, it feels like it’s turned around. It’s a real momentum-based sport and confidence-based as well. We just need to keep that and lift our teammates up with us. If we’re all running good, it will really help the team.

Shane van Gisbergen added.

The No:97 team now has momentum back on their side and that would help them in the upcoming races. It would be interesting to see how long it would now take SVG to secure his maiden top-3 finish on ovals and eventually a historical race win.

Also Read: “I Did Not Mean to Do That!” Ryan Blaney Apologizes to Tyler Reddick Over Wild Nashville Wreck