WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – (Aug. 10, 2025) Shane Van Gisbergen claimed his fourth NASCAR Cup Series road course victory of the season Sunday afternoon and second win of more than 10-seconds on the field … and he made it look effortless.
The 36-year-old New Zealander led a race-best 38 of 90 laps - including the final 17 - at the historic Watkins Glen International in picturesque upstate New York, his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet officially crossing the finish line by 11.116-seconds ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell.
Van Gisbergen, a former Australian SuperCars Series multi-time champion, joins racing legend Dan Gurney in scoring his first five career NASCAR Cup Series victories on road courses and he did it the same weekend as his Trackhouse team announced his multi-year contract extension.
“Good to get that one back,’’ said Van Gisbergen, in a nod to finishing runner-up in this race last year. “What an awesome race. Coming back through (the field after his final pit stop) I had lot of fun.
Van Gisbergen, in his first fulltime season at NASCAR’s elite level, has been essentially unstoppable on the road courses. His four victories on the year – also at Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma, Calif. – gives him that rookie win record and he now ties perennial championship contender Denny Hamlin for most victories in the series this year.
For all intents and purposes, when it comes to this style of racing, his competition judges itself on how close it can come to him.
The third-place finish for Buescher, who edged Van Gisbergen for the win at Watkins Glen in 2024, still had a good day as far as his championship chances are concerned. The driver of the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford holds onto the final Playoff position – by 34 points over RFK teammate Ryan Preece – among the 16 drivers currently eligible for the Playoff field.
Two regular season races – at Richmond, Va. and Daytona Beach - now remain.