Shane van Gisbergenmissed his chance to shine earlier at COTA, but he might finally be heading towards a race win this season. The only difference? It might be in a Truck and not in his Trackhouse RacingCup car.
In a power move from the team, the road course expert will be taking his experience to the Truck Series with Niece Motorsports at Watkins Glen International. This is as good as it can get for Niece Motorsports, who can be almost certain of a win over there, considering the road course goldmine they’ve struck in SVG.
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“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to race for Niece Motorsports at Watkins Glen,” he said. “Happy to be back at one of my favorite tracks. Hopefully we have a good crack at it. Thanks to Niece Motorsports, Circle B Diecast, DQS, J.F. Electric, Chevrolet and Trackhouse for giving me the opportunity. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
He will sit in the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado, which is sponsored by Circle B Motorsports Auctions, DQS Solutions & Staffing, and J.F. Electric. Along with him, his teammate Ross Chastain will also drive for Niece in their NCTS program.
This won’t be the first time that Shane van Gisbergen experiences the rougher side of NASCAR in the Truck Series. Back in 2023, he raced for Niece Motorsports at the Indianapolis Raceway Park, finishing 19th. However, heading down to the road course next, he has a much better chance of winning.
His years of experience racing in the Supercars Championship make him the road course expert of the NASCAR field. All of his race wins have come on road courses so far, and he continues to enjoy that advantage. However, because of the overall performance that Trackhouse Racing and Chevrolet have delivered this year, he missed his chance to win at COTA, finishing behind Tyler Reddick, who has been making the most of his Toyota domination this season.
But the Truck Series could be an interesting field for him to experience, simply because of the new kind of challenge it will provide him. While there will be many with more experience than him, it is tough to say if anyone will manage to outperform him on the road course. This is also something that Niece Motorsports made a note of.
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“Shane’s ability on road courses made him a clear priority for our organization at Watkins Glen,” Cody Efaw, team President and CEO said. “When we learned Shane had interest in running Truck Series races, it felt like a natural fit. Our fab and body shop have put in a tremendous amount of work building new road course trucks, and we’re confident in what we’re bringing to the track.”
Although van Gisbergen has spent ample time racing in the Cup Series, it is quite apparent that he continues to find it hard to adapt to the overall drivability and the racing aspect of ovals. He has been excellent at road courses, but for the more natural NASCAR races, he has a different opinion.
Shane van Gisbergen had to start all over again
This is Shane van Gisbergen’s second consecutive full-time season in the Cup Series. His performance with Trackhouse Racing has been fine, considering the fact that he’s still trying to master his racing on the ovals, but has been constantly bringing race wins on the road courses.
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But something changed this season. Chevrolet came up with a body modification of the ZL1, and while their performance has taken a hit compared to the Toyota, which is dominating, it has been even harder for Van Gisbergen.
“I feel like I’m learning everything again. Like, I went to Nashville the other week, and the cars drive nothing similar. So, I feel like I’m a complete rookie altogether,” he told the media.
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Daytona 500 Media Day Feb 11, 2026 Daytona Beach, Florida, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane Van Gisbergen 97 speaks to the media during the Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. Daytona Beach Daytona International Speedway Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMikexDinovox 20260211_mcd_ad4_51
Apart from a few races, Shane van Gisbergen has managed to perform very well, even on ovals. He finished sixth in Atlanta and followed with top 20 finishes at Phoenix, Darlington, and Martinsville. He seemed to be the winner at COTA, road courses being his forte, but as mentioned, Reddick had far too much pace. The #97 driver had to settle for a 2nd-place finish.
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But as he claims, his performance is beginning to improve, and in the coming races, he might be back to claiming wins on road courses. There is also the possibility of him winning two races at Watkins Glen on the same weekend, as he prepares to run the Truck race with Niece Motorsports, too. But for that to happen, Trackhouse will have to adapt to the Chevy body by then.
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