1. Worried About Shane van Gisbergen Doing This Every Year? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t
In one of the lamest Watkins Glen races in recent memory, Shane van Gisbergen did what most everyone expected him to do, claiming his fourth road course victory of the season. Ask fans what they think of his feat and the answers you get will be pretty split. Some think it’s awesome, others are already tired of his dominance and wondering if NASCAR should reduce the number of road courses on the Cup Series schedule.
There’s actually a strong argument to be made that NASCAR should scale back on road courses, but only because the schedule needs more variety. If people want to see someone other than van Gisbergen win when there are right turns, then the rest of the Cup drivers need to step it up and ‘git gud’ as the now-pretty-old internet slang goes.
And they will. Jeff Gordon famously won six road course races in a row in the late 1990s into 2000, but the field eventually caught up to him. You only get better by competing against the best, and if you asked all of the Cup Series drivers if they would prefer to sharpen their own craft by competing against van Gisbergen, I’d be surprised if they didn’t say to a man that they do.
On top of that, Connor Zilisch (get well soon) will be in Cup soon, and while he’s an all-around prodigy, he’s extremely good on road courses. It’s not hard to imagine him being able to take on van Gisbergen and beat him pretty quickly.
So if you’re one of van Gisbergen’s haters, relax. He’s always going to be a threat to win on road circuits, but that’s actually a good thing because it’s only going to make everyone else raise their game to keep him from extending his winning streak to ridiculous levels.
2. And Is Van Gisbergen Now the Face of Trackhouse Racing?
Since Trackhouse Racing has only been around since the beginning of the decade, it doesn’t exactly have a history of team legends. Early on, the most recognizable name involved in the organization was arguably former co-owner Pitbull.
Before long, Ross Chastain became the main man. He brought victories and his very marketable Melon Man persona, and the Hail Melon was one of the most memorable NASCAR moments of the century so far.
Chastain is still with Trackhouse, of course, and captured one of the sport’s crown jewels earlier this season by winning the Coca-Cola 600. So maybe we shouldn’t turn the page on him just yet.
But a serious argument can be made that when you mention Trackhouse right now, van Gisbergen is the first name that comes to mind. There’s recency bias to be sure, but his four victories in 2025 are the most in a single season in the team’s short history (Chastain has never had more than two in a year), and simply has a presence that outweighs the fact that he’s still 25th in points.
Van Gisbergen’s outsider status is probably a turnoff to some fans, but hailing from another country means he can expose the sport in general and Trackhouse in particular to people who wouldn’t normally watch NASCAR. If, as we’ve already discussed, the field catches up to van Gisbergen on road courses within the next year or two, the window to capitalize on him might not be open that long. Trackhouse should lean in now and make the most of it.
3. Chase Elliott Lost His Mojo at the Most Surprising Place
Speaking of drivers who used to be “The Man” at road courses during a time when racing at Watkins Glen was generally awesome, it used to be that Chase Elliott would always figure to be in contention for the win there. Since he entered this year’s event with a top-20 finish in (checks notes) every freaking race this year, the last thing you’d expect is for that streak to end.
Yet that’s exactly what happened. Elliott and his No. 9 team had a day they’d probably rather forget, including a moment when Elliott’s spotter forgot what lap it was. He ended up 26th, all but ceding the regular season championship to Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron as a result.
In truth, The Glen hasn’t been the same kind of oasis for Elliott with the Next Gen car that it was before. After finishing fourth in 2022, the first season with the current car, his results since have been 32nd, 19th and 26th. Not great.
That context makes it less surprising in retrospect. The question now is whether Elliott can shake it off quickly entering a stretch of races where he was up and down in 2025. His status as a true championship contender this fall may hinge on the answer.
4. Will Richmond See the Same Attendance Benefits Other Tracks Have Seen By Cutting Back to One Race Weekend?
The next stop on the Cup Series schedule is Richmond, and this year’s race is special: It’s the only NASCAR race weekend there this season, the first time that’s been true in the modern era.
Richmond is only the latest venue to go from two annual race weekends to one over the course of this decade. The difference is that unlike places like Pocono, Dover and New Hampshire, it’s much closer to the traditional heart of the NASCAR industry.
It’s also a short track, and despite the lack of exciting racing with the Next Gen car at circuits under a mile in length, NASCAR has been more cautious about moving their races elsewhere. Consider this a test run, then, that Bristol and Martinsville will surely be watching closely.
NASCAR tracks haven’t made attendance figures public in years except in rare cases where they are touting sellouts, but Pocono and Dover appear to have sold more tickets to their only race than they did for either race when they hosted two. If Richmond packs in fans, will that mean the other short tracks actually have more to fear?
If the on-track product doesn’t improve, that might be a moot point. Richmond had one unique event last season when the teams could run “option” tires during the race, but other than that, most of the races that are remembered most fondly are pre-2022. There’s more at stake at this particular Richmond weekend than just the normal late regular season jockeying for playoff spots, and it’s going to be fascinating to see what repercussions there might be once it’s over.
5. Can Anyone Break Through for Their First 2025 Win at Richmond?
There’s some recent precedent for a Cup Series driver grabbing their first victory of the season in August at Richmond and securing a playoff berth. Well, the first part anyway.
Austin Dillon crossed the finish line first a year ago, except NASCAR said his victory wouldn’t make him eligible for the playoffs because of this:
Let’s assume the winner this time out won’t wreck two competitors to get to the checkered flag. Tyler Reddick finished third in last year’s race, albeit with the extenuating circumstances from Dillon’s mad dash. He has one other top-10 at the track in the Next Gen car but a mixed bag of other results.
Chris Buescher won this race two years ago, kicking off a run of form he’s been unable to recapture since. Kyle Busch has been alright at Richmond the past few years, but nothing suggests he’ll break through this weekend.
All of which is to say there probably won’t be a first-time winner unless someone draws inspiration from Dillon — and we know what will happen if they do.
