Shane van Gisbergen arrived in NASCAR with a bang; his debut win on the Chicago Street Course in 2023 immediately stamped him as a threat on road courses. But 2025 has exposed his oval struggles: he has zero top-20 finishes on pure ovals, with crashes at Phoenix and Las Vegas “not of his own doing,” relegating him to 33rd in points as of June 2025. But before SVG can flex his muscles on the streak of road and street course races lined up next, his future at Trackhouse Racing has become a huge talking point.
Adding fuel to the fire was Jordan Bianchi’s report that stated that Daniel Suarez, who is winless since his Atlanta heroics last year, could lose his seat in case Connor Zilisch is promoted next year. With three full-time seats and four drivers, Justin Marks will need to make some big calls by the end of this year. But given that Ross Chastain has asserted his authority with a crown jewel win at the Coca-Cola 600, the toss-up is going to be between Suarez and SVG. However, now that the NASCAR circus is headed to road course races, industry veterans are making a case for the Kiwi driver and how he is likely to win and lock himself in the playoffs.
Keep an eye out for SVG
Industry chatter intensified when podcast analyst Dave Moody weighed in on the June 3, 2025, episode of NASCAR Live, asserting that Shane van Gisbergen’s road-course prowess could upend Trackhouse’s driver hierarchy: “He’s going to tracks where he’s never raced before, he’s got to ask for directions… I’m pretty sure he’s going to win one of these road course races, and I don’t think anybody’s going to be remotely surprised when he does.”
Moody’s perspective rests on SVG’s history in Australia’s Supercars Championship, where he claimed three titles (2016, 2021, 2022) on technical circuits that reward precision driving. Last year, as a rookie in the Xfinity Series, he bagged wins at tracks like Portland International Raceway, Sonoma Raceway, and a street race in Chicago. And while he sits 33rd in the playoff points standings, all he needs is a win to lock himself in for the knockout stages.
Win and you’re in is like a switch that can make a driver’s season from worse to great with just a single result. Although the format has faced its fair share of criticism, all SVG needs to do is park his race car in the victory lane at one of these road course races. “It’s either you hate about this points system or it’s what you love about this points system, but SVG behind the wheel with bunch of road courses coming up, it’s going to happen,” Moody explained.
CHICAGO, IL – JULY 02: Shane van Gisbergen 91 Trackhouse Racing Enhance Health Chevrolet celebrates after winning the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Grant Park 220 at the Chicago Street Course in downtown Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUL 02 NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 220 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon573230702023220
With the threat of Connor Zilisch taking over his ride just after a year being real, van Gisbergen isn’t short on motivation and drive to go out there and prove himself. As far as his progress on the oval track goes, he will take time. That P14 finish at the Coca-Cola 600 was perhaps a sign of him adapting to this configuration. If he bags a win before the end of the regular season, all of a sudden, the focus shifts on Suarez, who is in his contract year and eager to prove he is worthy of his seat at Trackhouse Racing.
Is Daniel Suarez on the hot seat?
Daniel Suarez’s 2025 status at Trackhouse hinges on just how quickly he can rebound from a frustrating 2024 streak. After going 57 races without a win, Suárez finally snapped the drought at Atlanta in February 2024 by 0.003 seconds—but then followed it with a string of outside-top-20 finishes that gave Trackhouse pause. Despite signing only a one-year extension in August 2024, Suárez remains confident he has room to grow, pointing to his 2016 Xfinity title as proof that long slumps don’t define a career.
Justin Marks publicly downplayed “trial run” narratives, insisting Suarez won’t be judged harshly in 2025. But, with Zilisch’s rise and Chastain already establishing himself as the lead driver, the Mexican driver is now up against the odds to fight for his survival. The only good news for him right now is that Justin Marks had some interesting words for Zilisch’s promotion to the Cup series.
“We’ll see what his future holds, but right now we have a mechanism in the company to put that extra car out. We just want him to get that experience. No expectations for results or anything like that.” Marks stated in Jordan Bianchi’s report. Perhaps, Trackhouse isn’t willing to repeat the mistakes of last year. Remember, they showed Zane Smith an exit door to vacate the seat for SVG. And now they are in a similar situation, a new talent climbing the ranks. The best outcome for all parties involved right now would be a buffer period of one year.
This way, Suarez can prove his mettle for the rest of the 2025 season, and SVG can make his case with his performances on road courses. Again, the runway for Suarez is really short, so he would be itching to win a race before SVG does this season.
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