Watkins Glen and Shane van Gisbergen is a developing folklore that will be told for ages to come, and part of that folklore will be SVG’s iconic win in 2026.

He won Stage 2 and led for the early parts of Stage 3 on tries that were starting to give way. Pitting on lap 76 for tires and fuel when he has the least amount of fuel amongst the running cars, SVG came back into the race in 26th with 24 laps to go. 

Not only did he cut out a 29.2-second deficit to Ty Gibbs, who was leading, SVG also overtook the leader with 8 laps to go on Lap 92. He made it look so easy, but there was some confidence behind it. 

The broadcasters kept talking about SVG’s ability to take turns better at higher speeds, breaking less to pick up the throttle early on the exits, but SVG also revealed that he had an added bit of confidence. 

Speaking to Sirius XM, SVG gave credit to his Crew Chief, Stephen Doran. He said, “There’s three seconds of fall of really, two and a half. So having that grip was a big advantage and we kind of struggled. Although we had the lead at the start of stage three, I could really feel my tires starting to go away.”

The #97 driver added, “We stretched it as much as that advantage in the end. But yeah, just an amazing call by Stephen to take a bit of pain, staying out, and then yeah, fun at the end.”

The win as SVG’s second on the trot at Watkins Glen and his 7th overall in the Cup series. 

Where does the road course dominance come from?

He was classified as one of the greatest road racers even before he made his debut in Chicago in 2023 as part of Trackhouse’s Project 91. SVG won that race, becoming the first to win on his Cup debut in 60 years. 

He won 5 street races last year, back-to-back, matching Jeff Gordon’s record of back-to-back road course wins. 

Trackhouse team owner Justin Marks called SVG’s prowess at road courses “eloquent” when asked what makes him so good at such races. SVG said, “I guess I've just done it all my life.”

SVG also added a note on how crucial a good team is, “When you’re with a good bunch of people, and you know they believe in you, it just adds to that confidence, and it grew throughout last year, and I just enjoy doing that.”

The Kiwi driver said, “Maybe we’ve developed the car to my style a little, but too and yeah, really feel like we’ve made some big gains in that area, and it’s just working with a great team.”

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason