Van Gisbergen has been competing on and off in the Legend Cars with compatriot Scott McLaughlin and fellow NASCAR Cup Series racer Bubba Wallace.
At Charlotte Motor Speedway, the #97 driver beat Jake Bollman in the Pro Legends A Feature.
Just 0.417s separated them at the chequered flag after 25 laps. McLaughlin finished ninth, 6.662s in arrears. Wallace was classified 20th and five laps down.
Earlier in the night, van Gisbergen qualified third behind Bollman and Tyler Reif.
“It was fun,” van Gisbergen told Legends Nation post-race.
“It was one of the cleanest races up the front that I’ve seen. I really enjoyed it. Had some good battles. Great racing with the #71. I think he won the championship too, so congrats to him.
“We raced clean, and then at the end, he had the opportunity to move me and he didn’t. I had a lot of fun — my first oval win.”
It’s been a two-pronged approach for SVG in the Legends Cars. It’s part fun and part learning with the Kiwi using the series as a way to get comfortable with close-quarters oval racing.
Asked whether the program had helped him on ovals, van Gisbergen replied: “It hasn’t hurt it.”
“It’s just been fun,” he added.
“I obviously learned some skills and Joe Ryan and his team, they’re great teachers. It’s just time turning left for me, it’s what I need.”
Van Gisbergen expects Round 10 of the Summer Cookout to be his last appearance in the Legend Cars but expects to be back in a year’s time.
“Winter here sucks,” he said.
“I’ll be back in New Zealand where it’ll be summer. Next year, we’ll probably come back.”
S! V! G!
His first victory on an American oval, @shanevg97 wins the 2025 #SummerShootout @USLegendCars Pro finale at @CLTMotorSpdwy! pic.twitter.com/sqvfWhH5z9
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) July 30, 2025
Off the back of winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Bubba Wallace said van Gisbergen and McLaughlin had taken to the cars like ducks to water.
The Kiwi duo have been stars of a series of YouTube videos filmed by Wallace.
“It helped SVG this weekend. The son of a bitch qualified 11th on oval. He’s figuring it out,” Wallace joked.
“I’ve always loved Legend car racing. Myself and that series — I don’t know if any of you guys were around for those times, but we had a lot of bad days there, but a lot of good days.
“I always thought Legend car racing was the most beneficial car that I learned how to drive. I always went back to Legend car racing to figure out the next steps in racing.
“So I ran last year, things were meh, okay, but Scotty and SVG came out one weekend. They fell in love with it. They were like how much does it cost? We want to do this next year. So they put it all together.
“Week 1, Scotty just rips the roof right off this thing. They have had so much fun. You couldn’t wipe the smile off Scotty’s face each and every time he got in a Legend car.
“It was so different for him. He loves beating and banging with the other guys. It’s so funny now, like I used to be the guy always in fights, always bumping into other people, pissed off, racing each other hard.
“It’s nice to escape the real job. Like we go out there and have fun. Man, I wish you all could see their faces every time they get out of the car.
“Now that they’re starting to figure it out, they’re getting a little bit that they can’t go faster. That’s the competitive nature. It’s been a blast. I’ve really enjoyed running with them.”
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