In the world of NASCAR, where oval racing dominates the calendar, road courses have always offered a unique test for drivers more accustomed to high-speed left turns. But ever since Shane van Gisbergen, the New Zealand-born Supercars ace, burst onto the NASCAR scene, the challenge of taming a road course has reached a whole new level for the Cup Series regulars. Recently, Denny Hamlin, one of NASCAR’s most respected veterans and a co-owner of 23XI Racing, shared his candid thoughts on what it will truly take for the field to stop van Gisbergen’s dominance when the series turns right and left.
Van Gisbergen’s impact was immediate and stunning. In his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the inaugural Chicago Street Race in 2023, SVG did the unthinkable: he won. With precision braking, flawless cornering, and an uncanny feel for the wet and narrow streets, he embarrassed a field full of stars who have spent their careers mastering entirely different skills. That debut made it clear: when it comes to road courses, SVG is not just competitive—he’s the driver to beat.
Denny Hamlin knows this reality better than most. With over 50 Cup wins to his name, Hamlin is no slouch on any track, but he’s realistic about where the NASCAR drivers stand against a talent like SVG. On a recent episode of his popular podcast, Actions Detrimental, Hamlin laid out exactly why van Gisbergen is so formidable—and what the American stock car regulars must do if they want even a shot at beating him.
“Look, when you’ve got a guy who’s spent his whole career mastering street circuits and tight, twisty tracks, he’s always going to have the upper hand,” Hamlin admitted. “We grew up turning left at Daytona and Talladega. Road racing is part of our schedule now, but it’s not what we were built on. Shane lives and breathes this stuff.”
Hamlin emphasized that van Gisbergen’s car control and his understanding of braking zones are on another level compared to the NASCAR field. While many Cup drivers have improved their road course skills over the past decade—helped by the influx of races at Watkins Glen, Sonoma, Circuit of the Americas, and now Chicago—it’s still not their bread and butter.
So what’s the “only shot” the NASCAR regulars have? According to Hamlin, it comes down to teamwork, strategy, and making SVG uncomfortable—something that’s easier said than done.
“Your only shot is to throw him off his rhythm,” Hamlin explained. “You can’t beat him in a straight fight on talent alone. You have to be aggressive with pit strategy, maybe try to trap him in traffic, force him to make decisions under pressure he’s not used to in this environment. The more you make him react instead of dictate, the better chance you have.”
Hamlin pointed out that NASCAR’s unique blend of strategy—stage racing, overtime restarts, and the potential for chaotic late-race cautions—can level the playing field. He noted that while SVG may be untouchable on pure pace, the unpredictability of NASCAR can still be an equalizer.
“He’s human. You get a late caution, a green-white-checkered restart, you lay the bumper to him a little bit—he might slip up. That’s the NASCAR way,” Hamlin said with a grin. “But if it’s just you versus him, clean track, no cautions—good luck.”
Another factor Hamlin stressed is the importance of learning from SVG’s approach. He believes NASCAR teams need to invest more in simulator work, road course coaching, and data sharing to close the gap.
“You can’t just wing it anymore,” he said. “If you want to beat a guy like Shane, you’ve got to study how he’s hitting corners, where he’s braking, how he’s managing tire wear. It’s a science. The days of just strapping in and figuring it out on the fly are over.”
For Hamlin, this isn’t just about one driver—he sees it as a wake-up call for the entire Cup Series. The presence of international talent like van Gisbergen, along with drivers like Kamui Kobayashi and Jenson Button dabbling in NASCAR, has raised the bar for road course performance.
And while some NASCAR traditionalists might bristle at the idea of an “outsider” showing up and stealing the spotlight, Hamlin sees the bigger picture.
“This is good for the sport,” Hamlin insisted. “We want the best drivers in the world to come here and test themselves. If that means we’ve got to step up our road course game, then so be it. It makes everybody better.”
As the Cup Series looks ahead to more road courses on the schedule—including the Roval at Charlotte and the tricky Sonoma Raceway—one thing is clear: if Shane van Gisbergen is in the field, he’s the man to beat. And if NASCAR’s finest want to stop him, they’ll have to listen closely to Denny Hamlin’s advice: use every trick in the book, and never let him run his race uncontested.
Because when it comes to pure skill on a road course, SVG holds the cards—and everyone else is just hoping for that one shot to
knock the king off his throne.
