Shane van Gisbergen became a full-time Cup Series driver this season with Trackhouse Racing. Now tied for the second-most wins in Cup this year, van Gisbergen has landed a new deal that cements himself and Trackhouse as top threats at the highest level moving forward.
On Friday, Trackhouse Racing announced that it signed van Gisbergen to a multiyear deal that will keep him with the team through at least the 2027 season. It ensures that the winningest foreign-born driver in NASCAR history remains with the ascending team a year out from what’s expected to be a chaotic NASCAR free agency period following the 2026 season.
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- Shane van Gisbergen stats (Cup Series): 398 points, 3 wins, 4 top 10s, 3 top 5s, 3 poles, 3 DNFs, 208 laps led, 23.652 average starting position, 22.478 average finishing position in 23 races
Van Gisbergen, who is second in the NASCAR starting lineup for Sunday‘s race at Watkins Glen International, is poised to win Cup Series Rookie of the Year after a historic first season as a full-time driver at this level. Heading into the NASCAR schedule this weekend, he was tied with Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell in wins (three). He also has tied the record for most Cup wins in a rookie season, sharing the mark with Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson.
Heading into the weekend, an extension for van Gisbergen wasn’t expected to be the big announcement from Trackhouse Racing. However, it adds to the reasons why this team is on the rise and could be one of the top playoff contenders in 2026 and beyond.
Why Trackhouse Racing can be a top NASCAR team in 2026
With only three races left in the regular season, Trackhouse has the third-most wins (four) among Cup Series teams this season. Van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain have both secured playoff spots, and there’s a chance the team could be even better next season.
That’s because Daniel Suarez, the driver of the No. 99 car, is being replaced this offseason. While the team hasn’t officially announced his replacement, 19-year-old Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch will be replacing Suarez in the No. 99 car in 2026.
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- Connor Zilisch stats (Xfinity Series): 772 points, 5 wins, 13 top 10s, 11 top 5s, 4 poles, 3 DNFs, 487 laps led, 7.238 average starting position, 9.905 average finishing position
Zilisch, much like van Gisbergen, is phenomenal on road courses. He and van Gisbergen have gone head-to-head multiple times this season at the Xfinity level, with each of them recording a win and a second-place finish as the clear leaders of the field on road tracks.
However, Zilisch has also shown remarkable improvement on ovals. In addition to his wins at Circuit of the Americas and Sonoma, one of the top NASCAR prospects has also delivered victories at Pocono, Dover, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Coming into Watkins Glen, Zilisch has a 2.3 average finishing position in the last 10 races, finishing outside the top two just three times and never placing worse than fifth.
While Zilisch faces a steep learning curve next year as a full-time driver at the Cup level, his dominance on road courses rivals van Gisbergen’s. With the NASCAR Cup Series expected to have at least five races on road courses during the regular season in 2026, Trackhouse will have two drivers who should each come away with at least one win.
Related: Connor Zilisch Called a Generational Talent by Future HOF Driver
That is two potential automatic playoff spots, and that’s not even including Chastain, who has won at least one Cup race in each of the last four seasons. There’s a strong possibility that Trackhouse has three of the 16 playoff drivers next season.
Zilisch and van Gisbergen will also continue to improve on ovals, which will allow each of them, long-term, to finish with more points and be even higher among the playoff points leaders. While Trackhouse might not reach the same level as Joe Gibbs Racing or Hendrick Motorsports, it could potentially challenge Penske to be the third-best team in NASCAR before long.
