“It’s tough,” Kurt Busch said in March about SVG’s chances of winning an oval race. The 2004 Cup Series champion surmised that the Kiwi speedster would probably get it done in 2026. Four months later, however, Shane van Gisbergen has proved Busch wrong.
He had a marvellous appearance at the Brickyard 400, where he dodged several chaotic incidents. But what he could not achieve in Indianapolis, SVG achieved in Charlotte.
Shane van Gisbergen masters the left foot
For the three-time Supercars champion, right-foot braking has been the norm. That is what propelled Shane van Gisbergen through three back-to-back road course wins in the Cup Series this year. However, a lion’s share of oval races in NASCAR capitalizes on right-foot braking, a skill which SVG is still perfecting. After two years of working on this skill, SVG finally struck gold.
Shane van Gisbergen wheeled the No. 97 Legends Car in the latest Summer Shootout feature. The race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with notable racers like Keelan Harvick and Scott McLaughlin competing. In the final few laps, however, SVG fended off hard charges from Jake Bollman to win his first-ever oval race. FloRacing’s post caption could not capture the sentiment of this achievement enough: “S! V! G! His first victory on an American oval, @shanevg97 wins the 2025 #SummerShootout @USLegendCars Pro finale at @CLTMotorSpdwy!”
S! V! G!
His first victory on an American oval, @shanevg97 wins the 2025 #SummerShootout @USLegendCars Pro finale at @CLTMotorSpdwy! pic.twitter.com/sqvfWhH5z9
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) July 30, 2025
Fans joined in the celebration with jaw-dropping awe about the Kiwi’s racing prowess. Now, few people would doubt the versatility of Shane van Gisbergen, as one fan wrote: “That tells me he is talented anything he drives in no matter what car.” Given his multifaceted achievements in Supercars and NASCAR, another fan is now convinced about SVG’s world status. They wrote, “Hmm. Almost like he’s a world class talent.”
What this much-awaited victory means is that SVG’s NASCAR rivals need to be more careful. Given his invincible dominance in street courses, if Shane van Gisbergen becomes dominant in ovals too, he will become unbeatable. Somebody wrote, “svg won on an oval it’s over for the rest.” Another fan dissed SVG’s haters who doubted him for so long: “HE WON ON AN OVAL TAKE THAT HATERS.” Somebody else reinforced the faith they already had in SVG, pushing him to do better. They congratulated him: “Way to go I knew you could win on an oval”
SVG is officially in the conversation to become a NASCAR legend. Stay tuned for more updates!
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