By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service

PLAYOFF-BOUND SVG SIGNS EXTENSION WITH TRACKHOUSE RACING

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. –Shane Van Gisbergen and Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks met with the media Saturday morning to address the team’s contract extension with the former Australian Supercars champion and current NASCAR Cup Series Playoff-bound driver.

Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #9 Quad Lock Chevrolet, prepares to practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 at Sonoma Raceway on July 11, 2025 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Van Gisbergen, who has three road course wins this season, is an easy “favorite” for both the weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Mission 200 at The Glen and Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series’ Go Bowling at The Glen. The New Zealander is one win away from tying Australian Marcos Ambrose’s mark of five Xfinity Series wins – most for a foreign-born driver. Van Gisbergen also has four career Cup Series victories – including that historic win in his very first NASCAR start in the Chicago Street Race three years ago.

“This has been a really, really fun project for the company obviously everything happened really quickly. … obviously we have someone who can win anytime on the road courses and winning is so important here at the Cup Serious obviously, but I think what really excites us at Trackhouse is his speed of development on the ovals,’’ Marks said. “His talent and work ethic and showing his progression on the ovals has put our company in the 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. Things are really starting to come together and gel.”

Van Gisbergen, whose contract length was not disclosed, conceded this first fulltime year in the Cup Series has been a learning process, but emphasized he is excited to extend his stay.

“Just right from the start, I’ve enjoyed life here and racing every week and the challenge,’’ said Van Gisbergen with a smile. “It was probably time for me to have a new challenge in my career. I’ve raced Supercars for 15 years or something, so yeah, the timing was just perfect and I don’t regret any minute. It’s been the most fun I’ve had in racing for a long time. It’s been really cool.”

THE SVG EFFECT

Van Gisbergen was certainly top of mind for most of the competition this weekend. One after another, drivers grinned and shook their head thinking of Van Gisbergen’s road course prowess – fully deeming him a favorite Sunday at the historic 2.45-mile Watkins Glen course.

Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #88 Red Bull Chevrolet, drives during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on July 12, 2025 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

He won the last three NASCAR Cup Series road course race pole positions coming into Watkins Glen but will start on the outside of the front row after being squeezed out of the top spot by less than a tenth of a second Saturday by Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney.

Van Gisbergen, however, has won the last three road course races and earned his first career berth in the 10-race season championship push that starts in three weeks.

“I really don’t know how to get closer to SVG,’’ said Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe, who has a pair of road course wins in the Xfinity Series (at Indianapolis and Charlotte). “I feel like I can close the gap a little bit but like at Sonoma I felt like I had realistically probably two or three tenths over the entire field but he had eight-tenths to a second over me. I really don’t know what to do different.

“I told SVG it’s really cool how he’s just elevated the whole series to get better at road courses but it is frustrating when you feel like you’re one of the top five to 10 guys but that gap to him is just so much greater than anywhere else in the field. And you don’t really know what to do to get that much closer. He’s just made everybody re-approach how they do road course racing.’’

“He’s just better everywhere. Faster in every corner. It’s just crazy how much more he always has in the bank. He does a really good job at not letting you know how much he’s really got and when he needs to go, he’ll just go.’’

ROAD COURSE A MUST FOR MCDOWELL

Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell is a renowned road course driver – a favorite every time the series stops at a track with right and left turns. And now with only three regular season races remaining to set the 16-driver Playoff field, the former Daytona 500 winner has found himself in a must-win situation to earn championship eligibility.

Michael McDowell, driver of the #71 Project Zin/Gainbridge Chevrolet, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on July 13, 2025 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

The good news is McDowell – a former IMSA driver – is an expert road racer which bodes well for this weekend and certainly with a win in the 2021 Daytona 500, he counts that track (where the regular season ends in two weeks) as another legitimate possibility to win his way into a championship chance.

McDowell comes to Watkins Glen ranked 24th in the points standings – 134 points behind Roush Fenway Keselowski’s Chris Buescher who holds that 16th Playoff position – the final transfer spot.

McDowell has had only one top-10 finish in the last seven races. But he’s scored top-five finishes in two of the four road course races this season – fifth at Mexico City and fourth place most recently at Sonoma, Calif. His two top-10 finishes at Watkins Glen have come in the last three races at the historic track.

“It’s do or die for sure,’’ said McDowell, who drives the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. “Yes, we have more opportunities. We can go to Richmond and run well too, and obviously, Daytona, I feel like we have a shot at it.

“But to me, this is the only way you control your own destiny is to win here. The other two are very tough to execute and have everything go your way, so times winding down, as you guys know, right? And, the pressure always ramps up as the time’s winding down, but I’ve been in the spot before, and, definitely feel confident that our road course programs [are] really good. And if we do our job and we have a fast car and we qualify well today, and we can start up front, we’ll have a shot at it.”

HENDRICK TEAMMATES CONTENDING FOR REGULAR SEASON TITLE

William Byron insists he isn’t looking at the points standings more frequently now than he did earlier in the season, instead he’s resigned to the tried-and-true of just putting in his best effort each week.

William Byron, driver of the #24 Raptor Chevrolet, celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway on August 03, 2025 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet takes an 18-point advantage over his teammate Chase Elliott into the weekend. Hendrick’s Kyle Larson is only 45 points off the pace – all three reasonable threats for the regular season title.

All three have wins at Watkins Glen. Byron won in 2023, and Larson (2021-22) and Elliott (2018-19) each scored back-to-back trophies here; Elliott’s win in 2018 marking his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory.

“It’s on the front of our mind, for sure, during the week,’’ Byron said of the tight competition atop the standings. “I’m sure every driver’s guilty of looking at the points right after the race. So yeah, as soon as we get those after the event, we just look at them and are like — okay, here’s where we’re at and here’s how many points we got this weekend. It’s more before and after the weekend.

“I would say there’s very little decision-making during the race that changes because of the points. I think you just try to run the best race that you can, and typically that’s how you get the most points.”

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