Shane van Gisbergen and Trackhouse Racing are heading west for the first time in 2025 in preparation for Sunday’s 500-kilometer race at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. The season’s first two races took place on the drafting tracks of Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway, plus the road course at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Now, drivers are ready to compete on the flat, one-mile oval in the desert.
Van Gisbergen will make his first NASCAR Cup Series start at Phoenix Raceway having previously recorded two Xfinity Series starts on the one-mile track.
His best finish at Phoenix came one year ago when he placed sixth, rallying back from a 23rd-place start. The sixth-place effort was one of five top 10 finishes on ovals that the Kiwi collected in Xfinity Series competition in 2024. He was credited with a 12-place finish in the Championship Race last November.
“There is nothing like this type of racing anywhere in the world on ovals,” said van Gisbergen. “Every week, even Atlanta a couple of weekends ago, I was learning something every lap. You just have to keep your eyes open and keep learning and trying to evolve.
“It’s easy to forget these guys have done that type of racing since they were kids. There are some guys that I’m two seconds a lap quicker than around a road course, but on an oval, they are unbelievable.”
Last Weekend at COTA in Texas, Van Gisbergen scored his first top 10 finish of the 2025 season. He secured a sixth-place finish after leading 23 laps on the 2.4-mile road course in Austin.
This weekend in the desert, the No. 88 Chevrolet will carry the iconic red and white WeatherTech colours. The Bolingbrook, Ill., company founded by CEO David MacNeil will be a primary sponsor on Van Gisbergen’s Chevrolet for 19 races in 2025.
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