Triple Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen earns promotion to NASCAR Cup Series full-time for 2025
Less than a year after leaving Supercars to embark on a racing career in the United States, triple Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen’s next major NASCAR move has been confirmed.
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Three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen declared he was “ready” after being promoted full-time to the NASCAR Cup series for 2025.
Less than a year after leaving Supercars to embark on a racing career in the United States, Trackhouse Racing confirmed the Kiwi ace would graduate to the top-tier series next year.
Trackhouse Racing - the team which kick-started van Gisbergen’s NASCAR journey with an initial street-race cameo in Chicago last year as part of its Project91 program - announced on Sunday morning it would field three full-time Cup series teams in 2025 after acquiring a third charter.
The three-time Bathurst 1000 champion, who will drive the No.88 Chevrolet, will join Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez in the team’s 2025 Cup Series line-up.
Van Gisbergen’s mission since leaving Supercars has been to secure a full-time drive in the NASCAR Cup series.
He was signed to a development program with Trackhouse Racing this year, racing full-time in the second-tier Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing.
The 35-year-old has already had wins at Portland, Sonoma and Chicago and has raced in four Cup series races alongside his Xfinity schedule with plans to run in seven more in 2024.
Van Gisbergen said he knew he had a lot more to learn, but felt he was ready to make the progression full-time to the Cup Series.
“This is what I have planned for and I am ready,” van Gisbergen said.
“I know there is a tough learning curve ahead, but the best way to learn is to go out and do it.
“I feel I have made progress running the Xfinity Series this year with Kaulig Racing and I can’t thank everyone enough.
“I look forward to the Cup Series. Those drivers and teams are the best in the world and it will be an honour to be part of their races.”
Van Gisbergen captured the attention of the NASCAR world last year when he produced a stunning Cup Series debut to win the inaugural Chicago street race.
The New Zealander became the first driver since 1963 to win his first Cup Series start and one of six foreign-born drivers to win a Cup Series race.
He returned later in the NASCAR season to finish 10th on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Trackhouse Racing founder and owner Justin Marks said the Cup Series would get the chance to watch one of the “world’s racing superstars” in action full-time next year.
“This is a big day in so many ways for Trackhouse Racing, Shane, Chevrolet and race fans around the world,” Marks said.
“This is an important step for our organisation and it’s a credit to the men and women at Trackhouse Racing whose hard work and success the last few years has led to us expanding to three Cup teams in 2025.
“It’s also a big step up for Shane who took a chance on Trackhouse Racing, moved here from New Zealand and now joins the most competitive stock car racing series in the world. Everyone will get to watch one of the world’s racing superstars compete in the NASCAR Cup Series next year.
“Shane is the type of driver we had in mind when we created Project91.
“He took advantage of his opportunity and that experience in Chicago launched a whole new chapter in an already successful story.”
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