Since 1993, a legendary story has unfolded in NASCAR. Jeff Gordon<\/a> debuted in the Cup Series that year. At just 21, he secured 7 top-5 finishes, including a runner-up finish in the Coca-Cola 600. Gordon went on to fetch 93 Cup Series race trophies and four championships. Gordon was also unbeatable on road courses \u2013 between August 1997 and June 2000, Gordon fetched six consecutive wins on these tracks. However, Gordon\u2019s record is slowly losing its luster with Shane van Gisbergen\u2019s rise. And Denny Hamlin strongly believes that.<\/p>\n Journalist Jordan Bianchi, while praising SVG\u2019s 5 consecutive win streak, declared that the Kiwi can never match up to Jeff Gordon\u2019s level. And Denny Hamlin had a strong reaction to that episode of \u2018The Teardown.\u2019 \u201cJordan Bianchi is absolutely out of his mind,\u201d Hamlin said on Actions Detrimental.<\/a> \u201cYeah, he\u2019s on the short-list for the best NASCAR road racer ever. What is he talking about? Does he really think that Jeff Gordon, in his prime, would beat SVG today in a NextGen car? Not a chance. Not a remote chance.\u201d<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n via Imago<\/p>\n NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Go Bowling at The Glen Aug 10, 2025 Watkins Glen, New York, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane Van Gisbergen 88 races during the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International.<\/p>\n Denny Hamlin<\/a> talked about the immense guidance that Jeff Gordon received. Driving the No. 24 Chevrolet Lumina for Hendrick Motorsports, one of the best Cup Series teams ever, and being guided by the legendary Ray Evernham helped Gordon a lot. Hamlin continued, \u201cJeff Gordon was not winning by this margin. Gordon was not racing cars this equal to everyone else. Jeff Gordon was in a Hendrick Motorsports car that was Ray Evernhammed up. That is not even a remote comparison.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n On the other hand, Shane van Gisbergen<\/a> had already achieved Jeff Gordon\u2019s legendary status in a different series \u2013 Supercars. He owns three championships and 80 wins there due to his unique left-foot braking technique. So Hamlin continued, \u201cWhen it comes to turning left and right, they are not close, and SVG is the greatest road course NASCAR driver in history, and he\u2019s only been doing it for a year and a half. It\u2019s undisputed. Anybody that disputes it, even in my mentions, shut up! I know, you don\u2019t. I compete, you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n SVG is clearly reigning supreme in the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran\u2019s mind. And even the NASCAR fanbase is on Denny Hamlin\u2019s side for a change.<\/p>\n NASCAR fans acknowledge the GOAT Kiwi<\/strong><\/p>\n When Shane van Gisbergen ventured into NASCAR, he had a mammoth task of gaining the approval of his peers and fans. Less than three years into the game, and SVG is already off the charts.<\/a> So, fans heavily agreed with Denny Hamlin about SVG surpassing Jeff Gordon\u2019s legacy. Somebody gave a comprehensive explanation: \u201cYep. He\u2019s the 4th winningest driver in Supercars history with 80 wins and 3 championships. And, just in case you think he did all of that ages ago, 40 of those wins and 2 of those championships came in his last 3 seasons in Supercars. Dude is like the Jeff Gordon of Supercars and switched over while he\u2019s still in his prime.\u201d<\/p>\n Presently, only one driver seems to have broken Shane van Gisbergen\u2019s road course stronghold. In response to losing the 2025 Xfinity race in Chicago, Connor Zilisch<\/a> beat SVG the following weekend in Sonoma. The 19-year-old wonder kid is already 10 wins into the 2025 Xfinity Series title run \u2013 and that too as a rookie! So one fan wrote, \u201cI think only driver who can legitimately challenge SVG on a road course is currently racing in the xfinity series.\u201d What is more, Connor Zilisch is heading to the Cup Series next season as SVG\u2019s teammate. So one fan cannot wait to see the brilliant teamwork: \u201cThere are a lot of current cup drivers who are great on road courses and can\u2019t touch SVG. We will see Zilisch come back to the field a lot next year.\u201d<\/p>\n Besides Jeff Gordon\u2019s 6-win road course streak, many other Cup Series legends have good records. Juan Pablo Montoya had two wins, four top fives, and 9 top tens on road courses. Tony Stewart<\/a> owns 8 trophies on the same tracks. Nevertheless, one fan believes that SVG would have still beaten these stars:<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cJeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Juan Montoya, and Marcose Ambrose would definitely challenge him and occasionally beat him, but I do think he\u2019s the most dominating road course driver the sport has had in at least 30 years.\u201d Another fan unequivocally agreed with Hamlin\u2019s praise. They saluted the Kiwi driver: \u201cSVG in the Gen 7 car is the most dominant car and driver combination on road courses in NASCAR history. No one will beat him in this car for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"article-image\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/imago1065015366.jpg\")
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