Following his stunning victory on his debut at the 2023 Chicago Grand Prix, Shane van Gisbergen moved from Australian Supercars to America to compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and some Cup Series events.
But in 2025, he’s moving up: Shane van Gisbergen will compete full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Trackhouse Racing at the wheel of the No. 88 car – the return of the No. 88 after five years in hibernation.
Shane van Gisbergen will join Trackhouse in 2025
Trackhouse Racing initially fielded Shane van Gisbergen for the first street race in Chicago in 2023 – a move that paid off. The former Supercars racer won his debut race in the NASCAR Cup Series and took his first step towards becoming a full-time driver in American stock car racing.
Van Gisbergen didn’t jump straight into the Cup, however; instead, he spent a truly impressive year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he honed his skills and got to know a whole host of brand new tracks.
Now things have come full circle for him: Van Gisbergen will return to Trackhouse with car No. 88 for the entire 2025 season.
The No. 88 has a rich history in NASCAR – a series where cars have numbers but no drivers. One of the No. 88’s most iconic drivers was Dale Earnhardt Jr., son of the inimitable Dale Earnhardt Sr., but it has also carried the cars of legends like Darrell Waltrip, Dale Jarrett, Donnie Allison, Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace, Buddy Baker and many others.
Van Gisbergen’s signing also coincides with the expansion of the Trackhouse Racing team. The company has acquired a third charter, meaning it can guarantee rides to its current racers Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain while also adding van Gisbergen to the team.
“This is a big day in many ways for Trackhouse Racing, Shane, Chevrolet and racing fans around the world,” said Justin Marks, founder and owner of Trackhouse Racing, in a press release.
“This is an important step for our organization and a credit to the men and women at Trackhouse Racing, whose hard work and success over the past few years has led to our ability to expand to three Cup teams in 2025.
“It’s also a big step up for Shane, who tried his luck with Trackhouse Racing, moved here from New Zealand and is now competing in the most competitive stock car racing series in the world.
“Everyone will be able to watch one of the world’s best racing superstars compete in the NASCAR Cup Series next year.”
Van Gisbergen himself expressed his confidence in the move, saying: “This is what I planned and I am ready.”
“I know there is a steep learning curve ahead of us, but the best way to learn is to get out there and do it.
“I feel like I’ve made progress this year with Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series and I can’t thank everyone there enough. I’m excited for the Cup Series. These drivers and teams are the best in the world and it will be an honor to race them.”
Five more Cup races for Shane van Gisbergen in 2024
Although Shane van Gisbergen won his NASCAR Cup Series debut, when he moved to the United States for a full season of stock car racing, he decided to compete full-time in the Xfinity Series – although he intended to pad his schedule with six Cup Series events at Circuit of the Americas, Talladega, Charlotte, Chicago, Watkins Glen and Las Vegas.
However, the Kaulig Racing driver’s performance was already so impressive that he had to add five more events to his schedule after this weekend’s Daytona event: Darlington, Atlanta, Talladega and Martinsville.
“Participating in Cup and Xfinity races with Kaulig Racing will keep everyone busy, but I didn’t come to America to watch racing,” said van Gisbergen, as reported in RACING DRIVER.
“I came to race.”
He continued: “When I came to the States I was told that Darlington was the toughest track on the circuit and I can’t deny that, but I immediately fell in love with the place.
“It’s just a lot of fun to drive and I can’t wait to drive a Cup car there.
“As for Atlanta, we finished third there in only my second start in the Xfinity Series, so that was kind of crazy. I have so much more experience now and just love going out there every week.”
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Van Gisbergen capped his rookie season in Xfinity racing with three wins (Portland, Sonoma and Chicago) to secure a playoff spot. He is on track to sign a full-time Cup Series spot for 2025, but those extra races in 2024 will definitely benefit him.
He also achieved top-10 finishes and two pole positions in Atlanta, Phoenix and Indianapolis.
Van Gisbergen drives full-time in Xfinity for Kaulig, but has made his Cup Series starts with Trackhouse Racing. He will drive Kaulig’s second car in these additional Cup starts.
NASCAR has worked hard to broaden its horizons and become more than “just” an American sport. The Next-Gen Cup car has been developed with international GT3 racing rules in mind and is designed to encourage talented drivers from different disciplines to try out the sport and get up to speed more easily.
Van Gisbergen, 35, was so impressed that he quit Supercars to pursue a career in NASCAR, and so far it seems to be working out quite well.
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