LEBANON, Tenn. — Shane van Gisbergen showcased his oval progression during last weekend's Coca-Cola 600. Now, he has surpassed that performance with a career-best oval finish at Nashville Superspeedway.
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The three-time Supercars champion took on the 1.33-mile concrete track for only the second time in the Cup Series, and he delivered another strong night for Trackhouse Racing. He started 10th after rain washed out qualifying and then he ran inside the top 10 in all three stages.
What a night, mate!
P5 at Nashville. pic.twitter.com/RyFFLBSnST
— Trackhouse Racing (@TeamTrackhouse) June 1, 2026
SVG may have missed out on stage points due to the strategy-heavy opening stages, but he crossed the line in fifth place. This far surpassed the 25th-place finish from last season, as well as the 10th-place finish at Kansas Speedway from late last season. The finish at Kansas served as his previous career-best oval finish.
The Trackhouse Racing driver also narrowly avoided a wreck while crossing the finish line at Nashville Superspeedway. Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott both spun after contact from Ryan Blaney, but they missed SVG's No. 97 Chevrolet by what appeared to be mere inches.
A big hit for Tyler Reddick at the finish in Nashville. pic.twitter.com/x39xpXbZyq
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 1, 2026
"It was a pretty awesome day for this No. 97 Tootsie's Orchid Lounge Chevrolet team," he said after the race. "Starting up front obviously helps, but it was cool to lead some laps and battle at the front. Our Chevy was running really well all night. I really enjoyed myself tonight. I learned a lot.
"I learned to be comfortable moving around in (Turns) 1 and 2, which I've never been able to do before. We just got the balance better on the two-tire strategy. When we were on a four-tire strategy, we were lacking that. The two-tire stop at the end, we were able to get the balance back again. It was a lot of fun. It definitely feels like we're making headway."
This marked the second consecutive weekend that van Gisbergen ran inside the top 10 at an oval track. Last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he ran inside the top 10 in all three stages while scoring seven stage points. He had an opportunity to finish inside the top 10, but a miscommunication coming to the choose on the final restart dropped him back to an 11th-place finish.
SVG is now 12th in the Cup Series standings after 14 races. He is 44 points above the cutline with two more road courses on the regular-season schedule.
