SVG SHOWS OVAL GROWTH WITH STRONG 11TH PLACE FINISH AT MARTINSVILLE

Shane van Gisbergen continues to prove his rapid adaptation to NASCAR’s ovals, delivering a highly competitive 11th-place finish in the 2026 Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. Driving the No. 97 SuperFile Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing, the New Zealander put together one of his most complete short-track performances to date.

He kicked off the weekend by qualifying a career-best fifth on an oval, putting himself firmly in the mix from the drop of the green flag.Once the 400-lap race on the historic half-mile paperclip began, van Gisbergen settled into a smooth rhythm.

He maintained his track position through the opening segment, crossing the line to finish Stage 1 in a solid 6th place.As the race progressed into Stage 2, van Gisbergen battled some minor balance issues, specifically with grip on corner exit. Despite the handling challenges, he managed to hold his ground inside the top 10, bringing his Camaro home in 8th place at the end of the second stage.

By executing well in both stages, van Gisbergen collected eight valuable stage points to boost his overall tally for the day.In the final, grueling stage of the race, van Gisbergen and crew chief Stephen Doran elected to roll the dice with an aggressive strategy.

Making an early green-flag pit stop for tires on Lap 268 to execute an undercut, the Trackhouse Racing driver vaulted all the way up to second place once the pit cycle was completed, placing him right behind eventual race winner Chase Elliott.Ultimately, the strategy became a game of diminishing returns as the laps ticked down, as drivers on fresher tires who pitted later were able to bypass the No. 97 machine.

Following a Lap 312 caution for debris and a multi-car incident involving Bubba Wallace and Carson Hocevar shortly after the ensuing restart, van Gisbergen fought hard to keep his momentum but struggled to find the grip needed to fire off cleanly on the restarts.He narrowly missed out on a top-10 result, taking the checkered flag in 11th.

Elliott claimed the victory, holding off Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano in the closing laps.“It was an awesome day,” van Gisbergen said following the race.

“Starting up front, the racing flows much better and cleaner. Ran in the top 10 all day but just lacked grip and was weak on restarts. The 97 team brought a fast SuperFile Chevrolet, just wish we could’ve gotten a top 10 result. Collected some stage points and had a lot of fun! Great progress heading into the off weekend”.

With 26 points awarded for his 11th-place finish and an additional 8 points earned during the stages, van Gisbergen walked away from Martinsville with a robust 34-point haul. The strong points day elevates him to 14th in the overall NASCAR Cup Series standings as he continues to establish himself as a consistent contender in his second season.

Trackhouse Racing Notes:

• Shane van Gisbergen led Trackhouse Racing with a 11th-place finish in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Ross Chastain finished 16th while teammate Connor Zilisch was credited with a 26th-place finish.
• Van Gisbergen started from the fifth position, his best career qualifying effort on an oval. Van Gisbergen was able to maintain position the whole stage, finishing sixth and collecting stage points. The No. 97 team came to pit road at the stage break and van Gisbergen started the second stage in the seventh position. During the stage, van Gisbergen fought the handling of his SuperFile Chevrolet and dropped back a spot, finishing the stage eighth. In the final stage, van Gisbergen started seventh, but lost three positions on the restart trying to find his groove in the bottom lane. The No. 97 team opted to come to pit road on lap 268 and rejoined the field 23rd but ultimately cycled back to the second position. Van Gisbergen battled to maintain position while weaving through lapped traffic. On lap 325 a caution flew, van Gisbergen went on to restart the final 75 laps in eighth but struggled to hold position, dropping out of the top 10 for the first time in the race. Van Gisbergen took the checkered flag 11th. 
• The NASCAR Cup Series will take one weekend off and return to action Sunday, April 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. 

By Matthew Paul – Velocity Magazine NASCAR reporter

Photos: Trackhouse Racing & SVG FB

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