Skip to main content
Join Now
NASCAR Logo

Shane van Gisbergen hands out high-fives to pit crew mid-burnout after NASCAR Cup win at Watkins Glen

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones08/10/25brianjones_93
Shane van Gisbergen (5)
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Shane van Gisbergen won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen on Sunday and celebrated in a unique way. After crossing the start/finish line, SVG gave high fives to his pit crew while he was doing his burnout.

This is the fourth time Shane van Gisbergen has won a race this season, and all of his victories have been at road courses. On Sunday, van Gisbergen won at Watkins Glen by an 11-second margin over Christopher Bell and Chris Buescher.

After the race, van Gisbergen shared his reaction to winning at Watkins Glen. “Good to get that one back. Thank everyone for coming out,” SVG said on the USA Network broadcast. “What an awesome race. The last stint was a bit cleared out, but the battle coming back through, I had a lot of fun. Thank you to WeatherTech, Trackhouse. Car was just amazing again. To get another win, and I definitely gave that Bus Stop wall another meter on that last lap, but yeah, awesome.”

Van Gisbergen now has 22 playoff points with two races remaining in the regular season. The 36-year-old talked about the challenges the playoff tracks present.

Shane van Gisbergen is off to a hot start to his NASCAR Cup Series career

“The first round there’s some very difficult left-handed tracks for me, but I’m getting better at it, and I’m enjoying myself,” van Gisbergen said. “It’s a challenge. But that’s why we’re here, and we’ll have a proper crack.”

Shane van Gisbergen is in his first season as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver. In 38 career starts, the New Zealand native has won five races and recorded nine top-10 finishes. Van Gisbergen trails only Chase Elliott (seven) and Kyle Larson (six) among active drivers with wins at street or road course races.

“That’s the stuff you dream about, right? I’m just a very lucky guy to get to drive for an amazing bunch of people and just execute,” SVG said after the Watkins Glen victory. “The day went flawlessly, and I can’t believe it. Really enjoyed it.”