Shane van Gisbergen became a fan of NASCAR because of Marcus Ambrose. The three-time Supercars champion made a splash in the NASCAR world in 2023 by winning the Chicago Street Race in his debut. He drove for Trackhouse Racing in the Project 91 Chevy and created history. After his impressive performance, SVG was given more opportunities to showcase his talent before eventually signing a development driver deal with Trackhouse.
During the off-season, the racer moved from his home country of New Zealand to the USA. He is currently racing full-time in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing to learn the art of oval racing. Recently, Shane van Gisbergen appeared on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour Podcast, hosted by the retired Cup champion. He shared his teenage years as a NASCAR fan, revealing that he was a devoted supporter.
Despite initially being drawn to the sport because of Marcos Ambrose, an Australian NASCAR racer who won two races, SVG grew up as a fan of Tony Stewart. This connection was meaningful for Harvick, who is close friends with Stewart and has raced for his team SHR, where he won the Cup title in 2014.
Ambrose is a highly accomplished racer, having won the Supercars title twice. After dominating the Australian racing scene, he sought new challenges and expanded his legacy by venturing into NASCAR. From 2006 to 2014, Ambrose competed in over 300 races across all three NASCAR national series. He had a solid debut in the Truck Series in 2006 and went on to start over 77 races in the second tier from 2007, winning four events. In his seven-year Cup career, Ambrose had over 200 starts and two race wins.
Shane van Gisbergen has a remarkable success story to follow in the Australian racing scene, and if he works hard enough, he can potentially surpass it. With the support of top-notch teams like Trackhouse and Kaulig, it is up to SVG to accelerate his learning curve and prove his worth in order to fulfill his dream of securing a full-time Cup seat in 2025.