Van Gisbergen’s transition from Supercars to NASCAR came with the express intent of being a regular road course race winner, which he has proven as much. However, the ultimate goal is for the Kiwi to be competitive on ovals.
With every week, the #88 Chevrolet Camaro pilot makes headway, and Marks is adamant that van Gisbergen will get there eventually.
In recent weeks, van Gisbergen and Trackhouse Racing announced a multi-year contract extension beyond an initial two-year deal that will keep him in the United States for the foreseeable future.
Speaking after that announcement, Marks hailed the New Zealander’s potential.
“I think what excites us at Trackhouse more than anything is his speed of development on the ovals, working with him day in and day out and recognising that, even though his history in racing has been not very similar to what the competitors in the Cup Series had with just a lack of experience on the ovals,” said Marks.
“His talent and work ethic and showing his progression on the ovals has put our company in a position where we feel excited and comfortable to make a longer term commitment to Shane.
“We think he’s got an oval win in him in the Cup Series and things are just coming together and really starting to gel.
“It’s just a good time to make a commitment to each other and we’re thrilled that he accepted the offer and we just get back to work and keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
Van Gisbergen is in the midst of his first full Cup Series campaign, which has been headlined by road course wins at Chicago, Mexico City, Sonoma, and Watkins Glen.
His career-best oval finish remains 11th with Kaulig Racing at Martinsville in 2024. In 2025, he has two season-best 14th place finishes at Charlotte and Richmond.
While a top 10 has remained elusive, Marks is optimistic about van Gisbergen’s progression.
“I think in this day and age in the Cup Series, it takes a huge commitment because the series is so competitive,” said Marks.
“It’s the accumulation of the aggregate of so many small things that end up in success in the Cup Series and that’s data simulation, really understanding the cars, understanding the development of the cars and how things change week to week.
“Shane’s just proven very, very quickly that he likes to live in that area, that bubble of just really understanding all the technical details, understanding how the cars are built and just what it takes to go fast .
“It’s just getting in and doing the work and putting in the hours and the focus when that’s really what’s required to go fast these days, to really understand these race cars and understand the technology, the aero, and how to get the most out of them.
“I think that’s probably contributed to how fast he’s been able to develop on the ovals. He’s a student and he watches tape and he watches the races and looks at the data and really asks the questions of why.
“In this day and age at this level, that level of commitment, that level of focus, and that level of intelligence are real factors in being successful and he just demonstrated that from the first time he showed up, even at Chicago in ‘23.”
Van Gisbergen continues his season at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, August 24 (AEST) at 9:30am AEST.
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