MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Shane van Gisbergen may have missed the Chase in his second full Cup Series season, but he has delivered career-best marks while showing his progression on a variety of tracks.
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Sunday afternoon's short track race at Martinsville Speedway showed this as he recovered from what he called a "s—- qualifying" and scored his sixth top-five finish of the season. This marked a new career high for the New Zealand native, as did his 10th top-10 finish.
"I definitely feel like I'm getting there, thanks to having a great team around me," van Gisbergen said after the race. "Our team did a great job getting our No. 97 Wendy's Chevrolet better from yesterday and I qualified badly.
"It was a great day. The first stage was awesome with the different strategies. We managed to stay on the lead lap and we just kept working forward. I enjoyed it."
Van Gisbergen did not have the smoothest day at the short track. He qualified 29th, which was not ideal at a track where the Gen 7 is difficult to navigate through the field. He then finished the first stage in the 20th position after following the one-pit stop strategy.
While several drivers throughout the field avoided shifting at Martinsville on Sunday, @shanevg97 alternated depending on the balance of his car.
He noted that he doesn't remember shifting as much last year with the lower horsepower and higher downforce. pic.twitter.com/EtG3i5P5pA— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) November 2, 2026
The Trackhouse Racing driver made some moves through the field during the second stage, but an ill-timed caution trapped him a lap down. Carson Hocevar spun in the middle of the green flag pit cycle on Lap 199.
Van Gisbergen did not get the free pass until 228, three laps after Ryan Preece brought out the caution for a lost wheel. He then ended the second stage in the 14th position.
The final stage of the race, which featured a 230-lap green flag run to the checkered flag, featured van Gisbergen racing inside the top 10 on multiple occasions. He ran as high as second during one pit cycle.
He continued to make moves as the laps clicked off, and he began challenging for a spot inside the top five.
He then made the pass for fifth on Lap 457 of 500 after Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin began racing for position. He held that spot until the checkered flag flew.
"Got unlucky when the 77 did his donut, and that trapped us a couple down," van Gisbergen told FanBuzz. "So yeah, but then we got back pretty good. Had some good battles for the lucky dog, so enjoyed it."
This race at Martinsville served as another example of van Gisbergen's growth as an oval racer, and it helped him set new career-best marks in multiple categories.
Now, he just has a trip to Homestead-Miami Speedway looming on the horizon. This will be the final challenge of his 2026 season. It will serve as an important benchmark, considering that his lone Cup Series start at the track came in March 2025. He finished 32nd after qualifying 35th.
"Hopefully I do better," he said. "I struggled there last year. It was like, I guess, my fourth race of the year in this car, so hopefully I've made some progress since then.
"And it's a tough track riding the fence and getting used to that speed. So yeah, hopefully I'm a bit better this time around."
