Kevin Harvick steps into heated debate on Shane van Gisbergen, NASCAR road courses
Can You Win If You're Only Good At Road Courses?
Shane van Gisbergen is a dominant force on NASCAR's road courses, racking up four wins in 2025 and leaving other drivers struggling to keep pace. His success has sparked debate within the sport – is his dominance good for NASCAR or detrimental?
A Texting Controversy Ignites Debate
Kevin Harvick, during his popular podcast "Happy Hour," revealed a text exchange with Clint Bowyer that touched on this very issue. Bowyer questioned what NASCAR should do about van Gisbergen's road course prowess, setting off a heated discussion.
"The interesting debate is... [Clint] Bowyer texted me, 'I don’t know if I like this,'" Harvick stated. "[SVG] coming in here and winning all the road course races and having a road course ringer, which is exactly what Justin Marks set out to do. You’re locking yourself in to having four, five, six — however many races are on the schedule of these road courses with somebody like SVG."
Harvick: Is It Unfair?
Harvick drew parallels between van Gisbergen's success and his own achievements, noting that he once won nine races in a season. "Let’s just look back. I won nine races in a season. Is it unfair that I won nine races in a season? Is it unfair that he’s going to win at least four? He’s already won four, could win five," Harvick questioned. “Does it make it different because he’s a road course guy on road courses winning? Does it make it any different from being a great season?”
Genius Move or Problem For NASCAR?
Harvick ultimately views van Gisbergen's dominance as a result of Trackhouse owner Justin Marks' strategic genius.
“I think the group’s doing a good job, but he doesn’t have the fastest pit crew. They got the tires tight, but they weren’t as fast as the guys. He lost a couple spots on the pit stops that he had," Harvick explained. “But I think that this type of situation is thinking outside of the box… Justin Marks, he looks like a genius."
Will The Dominance Continue?
While van Gisbergen's road course reign seems secure for now, it remains to be seen if he can maintain his dominance throughout the entire season.
The next road course race on the NASCAR schedule is the ROVAL on October 5th. Only then will we know if van Gisbergen’s success continues as he battles for the championship title.