Shane Van Gisbergen Sulks Over “Frustrating” End to Career best oval run

Shane van Gisbergen has emerged as one of the better drivers on the grid this year, more so because of his being in his rookie year. The Kiwi even achieved the rookie of the season award after being the only rookie to make it into the playoffs. However, his dismal outings on the Oval circuit caused him to lose his spot in the playoffs despite a strong run throughout the year.

Shane van Gisbergen achieved over five coveted race wins in the 2025 season, all of which came on road course circuits. Gisbergen faced a lot of issues on Oval tracks and failed to achieve notable results on those circuits. This caused him to lose out in the playoffs and ultimately get eliminated way before the Championship 4.

In Las Vegas, Shane van Gisbergen managed to qualify in P13 for the main race. Subsequently, Gisbergen ran at the front of the pack throughout the race and lost some positions down the race. However, a pit-stop gamble propelled him to the P5 spot, as he could have gone on to achieve his best finish on an Oval track.

With just 23 laps to go, SVG collided with Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs, and ultimately spun out and hit the wall. The Kiwi was then classified as DNF, causing a nightmare end to what could have been his best career finish on an Oval.

Now, Shane van Gisbergen has lamented his woeful outing in Las Vegas. He insisted that he was frustrated by the results, especially after his #88 car performed so well since the race start. Gisbergen reckoned that the pack was tight at the end, but he still could’ve achieved a great finish. Regardless of the circumstances, the Kiwi noted that he was proud of the #88 crew for bringing a rocket ship of a car.

Frustrating end to the day, My 88 Jockey Chevy was so good there at the start, then towards the end it was a bit tight but we were still in a position to get a good finish. Wish our result would’ve shown the race we had. Proud of my 88 team for bringing another rocket ship.

Shane van Gisbergen said, as reported by motorsport.com.

There's contact on the restart, and multiple cars go spinning. pic.twitter.com/L8hV6gV8SN

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 13, 2025

Shane van Gisbergen ‘proud’ to represent Kiwi roots with special livery on car

Shane van Gisbergen partnered up with Jockey International and sported a unique black and grey paint scheme that highlighted his New Zealand roots. Although his race ended in ruins, he was proud and delighted to represent his country on such a massive international level. As such, the 36-year-old opened up on the specialty of his paint scheme in Las Vegas.

Shane van Gisbergen pointed out that it wasn’t often that a driver got to influence the paint scheme on a car, more so at a racing venue like that of Las Vegas. He recalled that the first render of the livery wasn’t good enough for him, and Jockey provided him with great ideas. Hence, Gisbergen felt very proud to represent the special colors of his nation and give it his all on the track.

It’s not often the driver gets to influence the paint scheme, and it looks awesome, The first one wasn’t Kiwi enough for me and gave (Jockey) some ideas, and all of a sudden it was. I’m pretty proud to represent it here.

Shane van Gisbergen said, as reported by Toby Christie.

The 2025 season is nearing completion, and Shane van Gisbergen would definitely walk out of the season with some very positive feelings. Despite failing on Oval circuits, his road course domination has helped him remain at the top of his game. Now, the Kiwi just has to bridge the skill gap on short oval circuits and start dominating the grid in the coming seasons.

Read More: Kyle Larson Laments Las Vegas Cup Race Loss to “Really, Really, Really Fast” Toyota of Denny Hamlin

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