DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 11: Shane Van Gisbergen 97 TrackHouse Racing SuperFile Chevrolet is being interviewed during Media Day for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Daytona 500 on February 11, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 11 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 Media Day EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602111658500
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 11: Shane Van Gisbergen 97 TrackHouse Racing SuperFile Chevrolet is being interviewed during Media Day for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Daytona 500 on February 11, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 11 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 Media Day EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602111658500
May 10, 2026, 7:13 PM CUT
Polesitter Shane Van Gisbergen Expects Tire Strategy to Shape Watkins Glen
Shane Van Gisbergen celebrated his 37th birthday on Saturday in style, taking pole for the Cup series race at Watkins Glen, a track that has seen some of his best drives.
A road course master with a staggering five wins last year (all at road courses), SVG will be the man to beat when the Go Bowling at The Glen gets underway.
The Trackhouse Racing driver spoke to the press after taking pole for the race and was asked if he felt that it was his race to lose.
“Not with the tires like they are. I think there’s gonna be a lot of strategy tomorrow and a lot of execution. Like we saw, Connor made a mistake and just got half a car wide in the marbles, and then he lost three seconds for the next few laps,” SVG said.
He added further, “It’s all gonna be about executing and I think there’s gonna be a lot of variables tomorrow. I don’t think it’s an easy race like we’ve had in the past, you know, never easy but straightforward. I don’t think it’s gonna be like that tomorrow.”
WATKINS GLEN, NY - MAY 09: Shane Van Gisbergen 9 JR Motorsports Kubota Chevrolet races out of the inner loop during the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA OReilly Auto Parts Series on May 09, 2026, at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, NY. Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAY 09 NASCAR OReilly Auto Parts Series Mission 200 at The Glen EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260509017
WATKINS GLEN, NY - MAY 09: Shane Van Gisbergen 9 JR Motorsports Kubota Chevrolet races out of the inner loop during the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA OReilly Auto Parts Series on May 09, 2026, at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, NY. Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAY 09 NASCAR OReilly Auto Parts Series Mission 200 at The Glen EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260509017
A year older and wiser, the Kiwi driver spent the entire weekend driving various cars in the lower series.
In the truck race where he was aiming to win and complete the trinity of wins across all three NASCAR series, SVG finished 3rd driving the #4 Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports.
In the NOAPS race, his race got derailed after clashing with Zilisch on pit road and a long pit stop. He finished 8th for JRM in the #9 Chevrolet.
SVG's track record at Watkins Glen
Ever since he entered NASCAR, SVG has made it very clear that on road courses, it's him whom the others have to beat, even if he runs regularly in the midfield at other tracks.
He got his first win on his Cup series debut at the Chicago Street Course in 2023. In 2025, he won five consecutive road course races, matching Jeff Gordon’s record at Sonoma and Watkins Glen between 1997 and 2000.
Watkins Glen has been his favorite track with an almost perfect record. The #97 Chevrolet driver for Trackhouse Racing started and finished second in 2024 behind Chris Buescher.
In 2025, he started and finished first by a massive 11-second gap ahead of Christoper Bell. He led 38 laps that day.
This year, he took part in all three NASCAR series races, and while he hasn’t won the NOAPS or Truck race, he will be hoping to finally make merry at Watkins Glen during the Cup race.
Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!
Written by
Debrup Chaudhuri
Edited by
Suyashdeep Sason