To call Shane van Gisbergen’s rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series a steep learning curve on oval tracks would barely scratch the surface. But on Sunday at Kansas Speedway, the road course ace finally conquered a major milestone—and he did it the hard way.

Before the green flag even dropped for the Hollywood Casino 400, van Gisbergen’s No. 88 Trackhouse Racing team was hit with a series of penalties following pre-race inspection. NASCAR cited unapproved adjustments, resulting in the ejection of crew chief Stephen Doran, the loss of pit stall selection, and a stop-and-go penalty after starting from the rear of the field.

Despite the setback, the three-time Supercars champion mounted a remarkable comeback, clawing his way to his first-ever top-10 finish on an oval in the Cup Series.

“It was difficult to start a lap down and have that penalty,” van Gisbergen said. “But Chais Eliason, our interim crew chief, did a great job.”

SVG’s race began in chaos—serving the penalty on Lap 1 and falling two laps down during Stage 1. But the New Zealander stayed focused. A free pass on Lap 91 brought him back onto the lead lap, and from there, the charge was on.

With each adjustment, his car came alive. He surged from 35th to 20th, then cracked the top-15. In the final laps, van Gisbergen found himself in position to do what had seemed impossible just hours earlier: finish inside the top 10.

The result was a gritty, emotional 10th-place finish—his best yet on an oval and a powerful signal of progress for one of NASCAR’s most captivating rookies.

“I feel like we’re getting better and better at these tracks,” he said. “We had really good speed at points of the race, so I’m stoked to get a top-10. I’m over the moon with that.”

Though officially eliminated from Playoff contention at the end of the Round of 16, van Gisbergen’s oval track evolution has been undeniable. He posted a solid top-15 at Richmond Raceway before the Playoffs began, and ran inside the top five for much of the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway before a late crash ended his day.

Now, with momentum on his side, van Gisbergen heads to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval—a hybrid road course nestled within the 1.5-mile oval—where he’ll be a favorite to shine. The 36-year-old has already shattered the Cup Series rookie record with four wins in 2025, all on road courses, and he’ll be gunning for another in the Bank of America Roval 400 this weekend.