Shane van Gisbergen to race Cup full-time in 2025
Shane van Gisbergen is moving up to the NASCAR Cup Series and will race full-time for Trackhouse Racing in 2025.
Co-owner Justin Marks made the announcement Saturday in the Daytona International Speedway media center. The organization acquired a third charter to make it happen.
“This is a big day in so many ways for Trackhouse Racing, Shane, Chevrolet and race fans around the world. This is an important step for our organization and it’s a credit to the men and women at Trackhouse Racing whose hard work and success the last few years has led to us expanding to three Cup teams in 2025,”Marks said.
Van Gisbergen will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing next season.
“This is what I have planned for and I am ready,” said the 35-year-old Auckland, New Zealand native. “I know there is a tough learning curve ahead, but the best way to learn is to go out and do it. But I feel I have made progress running the Xfinity Series this year with Kaulig Racing and I can’t thank everyone there enough. I look forward to the Cup Series. Those drivers and teams are the best in the world and it will be an honor to be part of their races.”
Stephen Doran, the current crew chief for Zane Smith, will serve as van Gisbergen’s crew chief in 2025.
This all comes a day after Trackhouse announced the release of Zane Smith from his contract after the 2024 season. Rumors indicated the organization planned to purchase a third charter and have either Smith or van Gisbergen in that car.
Van Gisbergen brings tour de force on road courses to the No. ride. The three-time Repco Supercars champion won the first-ever Cup Series race he ran, last year at the Chicago Street Course. That set in motion his development in the U.S., including a full-time opportunity with Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series.
This season, he has won three of the four road course races run so far and steadily improved on ovals, as seen in his top-5 finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
His strength on road courses is valuable for a blossoming team like Trackhouse. Having four races as the favorite to win and get into the playoffs, as well as to earn 28 playoff points, plus two road courses in the playoffs (as of 2024) is a recipe for a deep, money-making playoff run for them.
Beyond the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, van Gisbergen will be back in the Cup Series this season at Watkins Glen in September and Las Vegas in October.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com