![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SVG-WGI-e1754956407343.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Shane van Gisbergen celebrates after winning his fourth road course race in 2025<\/p>\n
Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) is no longer just a road course expert. The New Zealander has turned into one of the most talked-about drivers in NASCAR<\/a> as the 2025 playoffs approach.<\/p>\n A three-time Supercars champion, SVG<\/a> proved early that he could dominate tricky road courses. Now, he\u2019s showing signs that he can handle NASCAR\u2019s famous ovals too, and that has legends like Kevin Harvick<\/a> taking notice.<\/p>\n On the Happy Hour podcast, Harvick said SVG<\/a> has what it takes to survive the first round of the playoffs. Thanks to four wins this season, all on road courses, van Gisbergen already has a solid base of playoff points. Harvick believes that cushion could carry him even if his oval finishes land around 14th to 18th place.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would you bet against him?\u201d Harvick asked. \u201cIf he can get those finishes in the first round with the points he has, he can make it through.\u201d<\/p>\n SVG\u2019s Road Course Skills and Oval Progress<\/p>\n SVG came into NASCAR with a reputation for road courses, and he\u2019s lived up to it. Winning four of five road course races this season, he\u2019s quickly become the driver to beat whenever the track twists and turns. That streak alone locked him into the playoffs.<\/p>\n But his progress on ovals is what\u2019s exciting people. At Richmond Raceway, he grabbed a 14th-place finish. But for a driver in only his second full Cup Series season<\/a>, it was a big step. Harvick said it proved SVG is learning fast and becoming more balanced.<\/p>\n Kyle Larson<\/a> added his own warning, \u201cHe\u2019s still new to the oval stuff, so he\u2019s going to continue to get better at that. And, yeah, I mean, if he can figure out the ovals, he\u2019s going to be dominant. if SVG masters ovals, \u201che could be a force in the sport, even becoming a dominant champion in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n SVG agrees that the transition hasn\u2019t been easy. In a chat with Dale Earnhardt Jr.<\/a>, he admitted, \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve had some really good races. We\u2019re still a long way from winning a race or being complete, but I can feel and see where the time is. I\u2019m having more moments where I have a couple of good sections of a race or feel the car doing something, and I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh, there it is. There\u2019s a limit.\u2019 I\u2019m getting closer to that every week, and I\u2019m feeling it more often. I can really feel the progression.\u201d<\/p>\n His steady improvement, along with his enjoyment of oval racing, shows he\u2019s heading in the right direction.<\/p>\n Why He\u2019s a Dark Horse in the Playoffs<\/p>\n Harvick\u2019s support doesn\u2019t stop at round one. He believes SVG could go even deeper into the playoffs. Road-heavy tracks like the Charlotte Roval could give him the edge he needs to make a run.<\/p>\n In NASCAR\u2019s playoff<\/a> system, it\u2019s not always about finishing in the top 10. It\u2019s about staying consistent, banking points, and seizing opportunities. SVG\u2019s mix of road course wins, better oval form, and pure determination fits that formula.<\/p>\n SVG has also noticed the shift in his own performance: \u201cI feel like I\u2019m matching my teammates a lot of weeks and qualifying really well. I can see it coming and feel it coming.\u201d That mindset, plus the fun he\u2019s finding on ovals, makes him one of the sport\u2019s most exciting names right now, Brian Jones of on3.com<\/a><\/p>\n Shane van Gisbergen\u2019s story isn\u2019t just about proving he belongs. It\u2019s about showing how far he can climb. With Harvick backing him and drivers like Larson pointing to his future potential, SVG is no longer under the radar.<\/p>\n He may or may not contend for a championship this season. But his rise from road course specialist to all-around Cup driver has been incredible to watch. As Harvick put it best: don\u2019t count him out.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/strong><\/a> Dogli Wilberforce is a sports writer covering football, basketball, MMA, and other trending sports stories for outlets including Total Apex Sports, and Last Word on Sports. He has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Images Shane van Gisbergen celebrates after winning his fourth road course race in 2025 Shane van Gisbergen…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":166668,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[1406,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-166667","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-nascar","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115072857836582345","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}