Somehow he was still smiling when it was over. Almost the same grin he wore 24 hours earlier at the Circuit of the Americas, after taking his first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win there. Only this time, the circumstances were different. The result was different. And yet Shane van Gisbergen, NASCAR’s New Zealander-in-residence and unofficial road course overlord, could still manage it—a smile that says, “I may have lost, but I did it my way.”
Starting 13th on Sunday, van Gisbergen went about his usual business: weaving, stalking, and prodding Tyler Reddick like a cat toying with a slightly annoyed mouse. For laps on end, he shadowed the race winner, threatening every inside line, every corner exit, every opportunity that might make Reddick blink. He pushed, he lunged, he tested limits that seemed laughably far from what the car was designed to do. And yet, when the checkered flag waved, he found himself second. Not first. Not sixth. Second. And still smiling. That’s the hallmark of a driver who treats defeat like a last minute dinner guest—unwelcome, but politely entertained.
“Just a little bit of everything,” van Gisbergen said of what he needed afterward, his Kiwi accent riding the Texas sun like a gentle breeze. “We lacked a little bit of turn and a little bit of drive. Tyler was just amazing. The way he was driving was really good and his car was good. We just didn’t quite have enough, but it was a great points day for this No. 97 Safety Culture Chevrolet team, which is what we need for getting into the Chase. It was still an amazing result, but you’re always disappointed with second when the expectations are so high. But overall, it was a really good day.”
High expectations are practically tattooed on van Gisbergen’s forehead at this point. He has become NASCAR’s road course maestro not by luck, but by relentless precision, an almost unsettling obsession with detail, and the sort of focus that makes his competitors twitch nervously even in warm-up laps. Yet his honesty is what makes him endearing. Even when he finishes second, he’s not sulking in the pit box or blaming the sun or the alignment of the stars. He’s assessing, analyzing, planning for the next attack, and somehow, managing to enjoy it all.
“Yeah, it’s weird to be disappointed with second,” he said. “But this series is just at a high level. I felt, okay, we got our SafetyCulture Chevy a lot better than yesterday, but just following Tyler, his driving was immaculate and his car was very good, too. I tried, but didn’t quite have enough. Still a great points day for the 97.”
There’s the quiet brilliance of van Gisbergen right there: a man who can race like a demon, almost catch fire doing it, yet step back and appreciate the architecture of the day. Fans might see him as a relentless hunter on track, but off it, he’s the kind of driver who makes second feel like a victory. Or at least like a rehearsal for one.
If you’re a NASCAR fan, savor that smile. Because it won’t just appear after wins. It will appear when he loses, when he nearly loses, and when he does something so audacious that the rest of the field can only shake their heads. Shane van Gisbergen’s road course mastery isn’t just about victories. It’s about leaving an impression, whether or not he climbs the top step. And Sunday, in that No. 97 Chevrolet, he reminded everyone exactly why they should never underestimate a man with a grin this big—and a car this fast.
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.
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