Shane van Gisbergen’s meteoric rise in the NASCAR Cup Series hit yet another high on Sunday, October 5, 2025, as the New Zealander powered his No. 88 Chevrolet to victory at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. For many, this fifth road course triumph of the season was expected, but the manner in which van Gisbergen was pushed to his limits by Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell has the racing world buzzing. Is the rest of the field finally closing the gap, or does van Gisbergen’s relentless pace simply make it seem that way?
From the drop of the green flag, it was clear this wasn’t going to be another walk in the park for the rookie sensation. Larson and Bell, both renowned for their own road course prowess, kept van Gisbergen honest throughout the final stage. The trio’s battle was a sight to behold, with door-banging duels and aggressive overtakes underscoring the intensity of the fight. Yet, when the checkered flag waved, it was van Gisbergen who crossed the line first—an astonishing 15.160 seconds ahead of second-place Larson after leading 57 of 109 laps.
“I think SVG — he had to battle for it,” said Kevin Harvick on his Happy Hour podcast, referencing van Gisbergen’s racing nickname. “The 20 car [Bell] and the 5 car [Larson] banging doors with him, but I think that’s where it’s at. I think you got to put yourself in a position to rough him up a little bit when you get in the scenarios to try to race with him. When you have the opportunity, you have to try to put him in a bad spot in order to beat him. He was able to keep his head on and just kind of back up when Larson and Bell got by him. Just kind of back up and wait for the right opportunity, let the 5 car cool down. He was mad that he divebombed him and put him in a bad spot. I think that in the end, just proved how dominant he is on these road courses with his ability in the car.”
Van Gisbergen’s dominance on road courses this season has been nothing short of historic. With wins already secured at Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma, and Watkins Glen, the Charlotte ROVAL marked his fifth such triumph—a feat never before accomplished by a rookie in Cup Series history. Each victory has come with its own set of challenges, but the ROVAL victory, in particular, showcased his ability to adapt and overcome intense pressure from seasoned rivals.
Legendary driver Richard ‘The King’ Petty, a seven-time Cup Series champion, couldn’t help but heap praise on van Gisbergen’s performance—even if he confessed the race itself didn’t hold much interest for him. “He's so regular. In other words, if them guys are running faster, so what? This is my speed,” Petty remarked on his Petty Race Recap podcast. “And then when they use up their tires and use themselves up, then he's just kind of cruising along at a certain speed. And he doesn't fall off like the rest of them. I mean, he doesn’t use up his tires like everybody else.”
Petty was particularly struck by van Gisbergen’s technical mastery, especially his braking prowess. “The big deal, watching him run and stuff, where he really meets them people is getting in the corners,” Petty explained. “I mean, he'll beat anybody going in the corner [by] two or three car lengths. And you'll see them lock up brakes. You never see him lock up his brakes. I don't know whether he's got a lock on the thing or what he's got, but that's where he's really superior to some of the drivers that he's racing against.”
Discipline, too, has been a hallmark of van Gisbergen’s rookie campaign. Petty noted, “He let everything settle down. And then after they run three or four laps, then he decides, okay, it's time to go. So he pulls out and goes on.” That poise was on full display at Charlotte, where van Gisbergen calmly allowed Larson and Bell to make their moves before reclaiming the lead when the opportunity arose.
Kevin Harvick also gave a nod to Trackhouse Racing’s owner, Justin Marks, for his role in bringing van Gisbergen stateside and putting him in the No. 88 Chevrolet full-time for 2025. “Kudos to Justin Marks for recognizing what he can bring to the table,” Harvick said. “I don’t care what tracks they are, when you get five wins in a year in the Cup Series, it puts you in a position to have the conversation of having a fantastic year. Not just a good year, but a fantastic year for any driver in the Cup Series to win five races. It’s not just road courses, you gotta make the pit stops, you gotta make the calls, so they’ve had a great year.”
While van Gisbergen’s road course record is the talk of the paddock, his progress on oval tracks has not gone unnoticed. Just one week before his ROVAL victory, he notched a career-best 10th place at Kansas Speedway, signaling that his adaptation to NASCAR’s unique challenges is well underway. With upcoming stops at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Martinsville Speedway, and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, all eyes will be on van Gisbergen to see if his oval game can catch up to his already legendary road course form.
The question on everyone’s mind: is the rest of the Cup field finally figuring out how to reel in the Kiwi phenom, or are they simply witnessing a generational talent at the peak of his powers? The Charlotte ROVAL suggested the competition is getting closer—Larson and Bell both managed to pass van Gisbergen late in the race, only to see him coolly retake the lead with a combination of tire management, tactical patience, and outright speed. But closing the gap and actually dethroning the new king of road courses are two very different things.
For now, van Gisbergen’s blend of technical skill, mental discipline, and racecraft has him rewriting the rookie record books and forcing veterans to rethink their approach. As Richard Petty so aptly put it, “being regular overcomes people when they really take off and then they slow down that much more. So he stays in the middle all the time.” That consistency, paired with flashes of brilliance in the toughest moments, is what continues to set van Gisbergen apart.
With the NASCAR Cup Series season entering its final stretch and a string of challenging ovals on the horizon, the spotlight will remain firmly on van Gisbergen. Can he translate his road course dominance into more all-around success? Or will the likes of Larson, Bell, and the rest find a way to finally topple the rookie sensation? One thing’s for sure: fans won’t want to miss a lap of the action as the story of the 2025 season continues to unfold.
As the dust settles on Charlotte’s ROVAL, van Gisbergen stands not just as a road course master, but as the rookie rewriting the NASCAR playbook—one victory at a time.
