Shane van Gisbergen “hated” driving Supercars before NASCAR switch

Shane van Gisbergen has revealed he “hated” racing Supercars before his move to NASCAR, calling the switch the “best decision” of his career.

The New Zealander made his name in Australia’s Supercars Championship, winning three titles with Triple Eight Race Engineering and Holden. However, a one-off appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023 — which saw him sensationally win on debut at the Chicago street race — soon led to a full-time move to America.

Van Gisbergen exited Supercars at the end of 2023 and spent the following season honing his skills in the Xfinity Series, before stepping up to a full-time Cup Series drive with Trackhouse Racing in 2025.

Reflecting on the transition, van Gisbergen admitted he had grown increasingly frustrated in Supercars, specifically with the Gen3 cars introduced in 2023, and is now enjoying his racing more than ever.

“It justifies, or backs up, why we’ve done it and why Justin [Marks] believes in me,” he said. “Justin looks like the smartest guy here after me locking into the playoffs, especially how dismal it looked early in the year. We all kept that belief.

“Yeah, I feel like I made the best decision ever. I was really hating racing in Australia. I hated driving those cars. Now, I’ve never had so much fun racing, going to the racetrack every single weekend. I really love what I do.”

Van Gisbergen took his first win of the year in Mexico in June, before repeating his Chicago heroics earlier this month. With three wins from just 33 starts, he has already become the most successful foreign-born driver in NASCAR history.

Despite those road course victories, van Gisbergen remains a work in progress on ovals, which make up the bulk of the NASCAR calendar. As a result, he sits just 27th in the overall standings, while teammate Ross Chastain is well inside the top 10.

The Kiwi credited team boss Justin Marks for standing by him during his early struggles.

“[Marks is] obviously very patient with me and knows that I’ll get there,” he said. “Obviously, I’ve had to deliver road course results to offset that a little bit, but he’s done what I’m doing.

“He was a NASCAR driver himself after being a sports car racer, and he knows how difficult this sport is. So he knows what I’m going through, and when I talk with him about my struggles, he knows what I’m talking about. It’s pretty cool to have a boss like that.”

Van Gisbergen believes he’s making steady progress on ovals this year after graduating from the Xfinity Series.

“Yes and no,” he said when asked if the transition is getting easier. “It’s just comfort. New experiences are always hard. When I went back to Darlington this year for the second time, I struggled there in the Southern 500 (in 2024), but in the race this year, I bent the car in practice, so we qualified badly. But in the race, we just got better and better as we went.

“It’s just when something is not new to you anymore, you’re more comfortable in that environment. I’m driving the same car every week with the same people, whereas last year I was chugging and changing. This year is comfortable and I’m learning so much more.”