When Shane van Gisbergen took the NASCAR Cup Series world by storm in the inaugural Chicago Street Course race in 2023, no one knew quite what to make of it.
It was a historic debut for the New Zealand native, but at the same time, it was perhaps the easiest opportunity anyone could've possibly had to win in their first try at NASCAR's top level.
He was the only driver in the field with street course experience, and also had significantly more mileage in wet weather than the Cup Series regulars. Not to mention, the Next Gen car drives similarly to an Australian V8 Supercar.
So, naturally, the popular narrative was that the Cup Series field would "catch up" to van Gisbergen. Three wins in four 2025 road and street course events later, he has only pulled away.
Shane van Gisbergen isn't just maintaining his road course edge; he's lapping the field
The idea that van Gisbergen would regress to the mean was never logical. He did go winless in four tries last season, but all of his 2024 Cup Series starts were for Kaulig Racing instead of Trackhouse Racing, a stronger road course program.
As it is, he led on the final lap at Watkins Glen International last year before Chris Buescher outdueled him in a thrilling finish, and he led 21 laps from the pole at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in the fall.
This season, after finishing sixth at Circuit of the Americas, SVG is 3-for-3. The first of his wins was at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, another new track for most of the Cup Series grid, and the second was back on the streets of Chicago, a place he had already mastered.
But Sunday's stomping of the field in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, an annual staple of the Cup circuit since 1989, was his most convincing display of dominance yet. The Kiwi led 97 of 110 laps from the pole, only ever losing the lead during pit cycles, at a track where the rest of the field did have plenty of experience.
While everyone was focused on how the other drivers would figure out the new road courses over time, it's almost as if the guy who was brand-new to NASCAR two years ago also had room to improve on the existing ones.
The idea that van Gisbergen's Supercars experience is what gave him a significant leg up can also be debunked, as additional series veterans such as Brodie Kostecki, Cameron Waters, and Will Brown have all since tried their hand at the Cup Series, and none have had even remotely the same success.
If the truth wasn't already clear before Sunday, it certainly is now. Van Gisbergen is a special road racer, and NASCAR fans should appreciate what they are witnessing. He is setting the standard, and while the rest of the field may be getting better on road courses, he is too.