Shane Van Gisbergen lands fulltime Nascar seat for 2025

Kiwi driver Shane van Gisbergen will be a fulltime fixture on the grid in the 2025 Nascar Cup Series, with Trackhouse Racing expanding its operation next season to bring in a third car.

Van Gisbergen made a splash on the American scene after joining Trackhouse Racing for a one-off project in 2023, racing in the inaugural event at the Chicago Street Course. Van Gisbergen won the race, becoming just the seventh driver to win on Nascar debut and the first to do so since 1963. That turned into a second opportunity with the team, with van Gisbergen claiming another top-10 finish, and he made his Nascar truck series debut later in the year.

His performances brought plenty of attention to the three-time Supercars champion, and he joined Trackhouse Racing for 2024 on a part-time basis with all three of Nascar’s national series as part of a development deal with the team, while running a fulltime schedule with Kaulig Racing in the Nascar Xfinity Series.

For 2025, the 35-year-old will join Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez in the team’s Cup Series line-up.

“This is what I have planned for and I am ready,” van Gisbergen said.

“I know there is a tough learning curve ahead, but the best way to learn is to go out and do it. I feel I have made progress running the Xfinity Series this year with Kaulig Racing and I can’t thank everyone there enough. I look forward to the Cup Series. Those drivers and teams are the best in the world and it will be an honour to be part of their races.”

Trackhouse Racing founder and owner Justin Marks said adding a third car to the grid for 2025 was a big step for the organisation.

“It’s also a big step up for Shane, who took a chance on Trackhouse Racing, moved here from New Zealand and now joins the most competitive stock car racing series in the world. Everyone will get to watch one of the world’s racing superstars compete in the Nascar Cup Series next year.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission