Skip to main content
Join Now
NASCAR Logo

Steve Letarte claims Shane van Gisbergen is making NASCAR Cup field 'more elite'

ProfilePhotoby: Nick Geddes07/07/25NickGeddesNews
Shane van Gisbergen
Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Shane van Gisbergen wasted little time making an impact in the NASCAR Cup Series. He won the 2023 Chicago Street Race in his Cup debut, the first driver to do so in the modern era.

Two years later at the same venue, van Gisbergen did it again. He took the checkered flag in downtown Chicago on Sunday, his second victory of the season. Van Gisbergen has quickly made himself the favorite at every road/street course on the schedule, and in the opinion of Steve Letarte, his presence has made the Cup field “elite.”

“I feel now that if they [fans] watch all 36 Cup Series races, that they are watching the best stock car driver on every surface,” Letarte said after Sunday’s race. “If we go to Martinsville, I think our standard Cup drivers are the best ever. When we go to Talladega, we have some of the best drafters — maybe not ever, Dale Jr. is not in the field — but of the current crop, they are the best. Maybe, I gave all our guys credit on the road courses and I still think they’re the best at Watkins Glen and Sonoma, but as we bring these new venues on like the street courses, I now believe — Ty Gibbs did not win today — but he got beat by the best at this circuit. I know this sounds crazy, but I think SVG has made the starting field of NASCAR drivers more elite.

“I think he was the last version of something to come in and dominate or win because he’s ‘better than the full timers.’ Now, he is a full timer and that’s the other thing I love. He doesn’t come in and out. He goes to every single oval and he’s like the most humble guy. … Does he make our guys look bad? I don’t think so. I think the credit is his excellence.”

Shane van Gisbergen joins elite company with victory in Chicago Street Race

It was a weekend sweep for van Gisbergen, who dominated Saturday’s Xfinity Series race. Both of his wins came from the pole position. Van Gisbergen has three Cup victories in just 33 starts, the fastest driver to reach the milestone since Jimmie Johnson in 2002.

Van Gisbergen still has work to do to become competitive on ovals. But when it comes to road/street course racing, nobody is better than the New Zealand native.

“These [road] races are like a holiday to me. It’s the ovals where I’m really focused on getting better and better,” van Gisbergen said. “I come here and there’s no stress.”