Shane van Gisbergen’s Branded the “Accidental Ambassador” for NASCAR and Supercars

Shane van Gisbergen's entry into NASCAR helped propel Supercars' popularity and vice versa for the sport.

Shane van Gisbergen’s Branded the “Accidental Ambassador” for NASCAR and Supercars

Shane van Gisbergen (via Getty)

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Shane van Gisbergen achieved a highly successful debut in the NASCAR Cup Series in the 2025 season. The Aussie came from the Supercars category and made his mark in the pinnacle of stock racing in his very first season. SVG qualified for the playoffs in his maiden year and also achieved multiple coveted race wins. However, they were all on street course circuits and none on the ovals so far.

Regardless, Shane van Gisbergen has made a significant impact in bridging the audiences of Supercars and NASCAR, and vice versa. Many NASCAR drivers are now trying their hand at the Australian Super2 series, as Jesse Love recently made his debut and discussed the influx of drivers that would follow him. Additionally, even Austin Cindric made his appearance in the Supercars series, for which Gisbergen can be thanked.

Now, infamous NASCAR announcer for NBC Sports, Leigh Diffey, has weighed in on how Shane van Gisbergen’s successful debut in the pinnacle of stock racing has helped propel Supercars’ popularity. Diffey insisted that SVG had achieved a string of top-15 finishes, which might not sound as good. However, it was within 40 cars racing on track for one single goal.

We’re starting to see that, because he had a succession of top-15 finishes. While that might not sound all that fantastic, it is, with nearly a 40-car field. So, Shane has been, I don’t want to say an accidental ambassador, but that’s the way it’s happened.

Leigh Diffey said via Supercars YouTube channel.

As such, Leigh Diffey reckoned that Shane van Gisbergen had been an ‘accidental ambassador’ for NASCAR and Supercars. Van Gisbergen entered the series without knowing much about it but started to score amazing results from the get-go. Moreover, the 36-year-old was now learning the ropes of the sport quickly and was bound to have an even better time in his sophomore year.

Just through the way he’s carried himself, the way he’s raced, the way he goes in very respectfully to a totally new category that he doesn’t know anything, didn’t know anything about as far as the driving perspective. Now he knows a lot. The road course prowess, street course prowess. 

Leigh Diffey added.

Leigh Diffey recalls Kyle Larson’s comments on Shane van Gisbergen’s chances to succeed on Ovals

Leigh Diffey pointed out that many people questioned Shane van Gisbergen and how he immediately landed in NASCAR and started dominating the grid on street course circuits. Diffey agreed with what Jesse Love had to say on the matter and insisted that the Aussie was now turning a corner on the Oval circuits and was starting to perform much better than expected on the short circuits.

Shane van Gisbergen
Shane van Gisbergen (Via @shanevg97/X)

Further, Leigh Diffey recalled Kyle Larson‘s comments, who talked about Shane van Gisbergen’s chances to succeed once he got the hang of racing around the Ovals. Larson had claimed that once van Gisbergen learnt how to excel on Ovals, all the regular Cup Series drivers would be in trouble. Diffey believes that this is true, and once the Street course master learns racing on short ovals, he will start dominating the grid for sure.

Where has he come from? And why is he this good? Now, that starts as Jesse mentioned on the road course and street course racing but now Shane has really started to turn the corner, pardon the pun, on the ovals. You remember earlier this year, Kyle Larson said, if SVG learns the ovals, how to race the ovals, we’re all in trouble. 

Leigh Diffey noted.

The 2025 season turned out great for Shane van Gisbergen, although he couldn’t make it into the Championship-4. The Aussie definitely has great potential to succeed in NASCAR; he just needs some time. The 36-year-old will surely return as a much better driver in the coming season and aim to replicate his street course performances on short oval circuits as well.

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