NASCAR's Road Course King
Shane van Gisbergen Becomes NASCAR's Active Road Course Wins Leader with Sonoma Victory
Shane van Gisbergen is now NASCAR's winningest active driver on road and street courses. The Associated Press reports that his victory at Sonoma Raceway on June 28, 2026 — his second straight win at the 1.99-mile California track — gave him eight career Cup Series wins on courses that require both left and right turns, breaking a tie with Chase Elliott.
He won by just 0.357 seconds over Chase Briscoe, leading 74 of the final 83 laps. Only NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, with nine road course wins, sits ahead of him in the all-time record books.
From Chicago Debut to Sonoma Domination in Three Years
Van Gisbergen's rise has been remarkably fast. He won his very first NASCAR Cup start — the inaugural Chicago Street Race on July 2, 2023 — becoming the first driver in 60 years to win in his Cup debut, Yahoo Sports reported. He then won in Mexico City, back-to-back at Sonoma, and at Watkins Glen, stacking up road course wins at a rate no active driver can match.
The New Zealander drives the #97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, a team that brought him to NASCAR through its "Project 91" program aimed at signing international stars. After his Sonoma win, van Gisbergen said, "These guys did an amazing job turning this car into a winner... this win is pretty special," according to Frontstretch.
Top Seed Tyler Reddick Knocked Out by Steering Failure
Sonoma also hosted the first round of NASCAR's In-Season Challenge — a 32-driver bracket tournament worth up to $1 million. For the second straight year, the top seed did not survive the opening race. Tyler Reddick, the #1 seed and the most consistent driver of the 2026 season, suffered a power steering failure early and finished 36th, Racing News reported.
Denny Hamlin advanced to the next round despite finishing 26th after a mid-race spin. Alex Bowman, seeded 32nd, finished 10th and knocked Reddick out of the tournament. Hamlin also took over the Cup Series points lead — by just two points over Reddick — after Reddick's misfortune.
SVG Now Chasing Jeff Gordon's All-Time Road Course Record
With eight wins, van Gisbergen trails only Jeff Gordon's all-time record of nine Cup road course victories. WTHR projects that SVG could break the record before the end of the 2027 season, with multiple road courses still on the schedule. His eight wins have all come on tracks with left and right turns — ovals remain his missing piece.
Kevin Harvick, a former champion now working as an analyst, said SVG's "race craft and tire management on road courses remain on another level" compared to rivals who have closed the gap in raw speed. Chase Elliott, now tied at seven wins after being surpassed, had previously been the benchmark for road course excellence in NASCAR.
NASCAR Heads to Joliet for First Visit in Seven Years
The Cup Series now shifts dramatically — from Sonoma's twisting 1.99-mile road course to the flat 1.5-mile oval at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, on July 5. It is the series' first visit to the track in seven years. The Associated Press notes that Alex Bowman scored his first career Cup win at that track on June 30, 2019.
For van Gisbergen, Joliet presents a different kind of challenge. All eight of his Cup wins have come on road or street courses. An oval victory would silence critics who call him a specialist and cement his standing as a true all-around threat in NASCAR's premier series.
Sentiment
NeutralPublishers
10
Articles
10
Reach
10
