Kevin Harvick reveals biggest change in Shane van Gisbergen from last season to NASCAR this year

Kevin Harvick watched as Shane van Gisbergen was victorious once again on a road course this past weekend in Watkins Glen. It was the New Zealander’s fourth win of the season.

That has Harvick wondering what changed for SVG from last season to 2025. On the latest episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, the former champion evaluated how van Gisbergen has grown as a Cup Series wheelman this year.

“The biggest difference in SVG between this year and last year, and we’ve mentioned this on here, (is having a ) consistent team, consistent car,” Harvick stated. “It’s built around what he likes, week after week after week. What kept it competitive last year is he would show up in somebody else’s car. Trackhouse didn’t support it. He wasn’t driving it every week. Now, you’re seeing what happens when these guys drive it every week.

“That was always the biggest difference in what used to happen, with Boris Said and Ron Fellows and all those guys, when they used to come over here and drive the cars. They would show up every once in a while. He’s here every week. He’s racing ovals. He understands the pit stops. He understands the restarts, which he’s really good at on the road courses.

“As he gets more and more comfortable, he’ll get better and better at this on the ovals, because he’s a student. He critiques himself, and gets in depth about the things that he can do to get better. He’s getting better, on the road courses too. Absolutely. I think that’s just the details of working at it on the ovals and understanding the car.”

Alas, Harvick’s sentiment makes a ton of sense. Unlike past road course ringers, SVG has the advantage of racing in the Cup Series week after week, and it’s helped him cultivate his skill. With NASCAR’s mission to add more road courses to the schedule, he’s a bit of a cheat code for Trackhouse Racing.

Now, the question remains whether or not he can put it all together when it comes to ovals. If van Gisbergen can do that, then the field will have to worry about him potentially winning a title in the Cup Series.

With four wins on the season, Shane van Gisbergen has a mighty fine cushion for the remainder of the 2025 season. It remains to be seen how he fares in the playoffs, but the Trackhouse star is proving week-in and week-out that he belongs at the top level.