Van Gisbergen Favored at COTA to Extend Road Streak

Shane van Gisbergen enters the NASCAR Cup Series' first road course race of the 2026 season as the clear favorite, seeking to extend his five-race winning streak on such layouts at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on Sunday.

The DuraMax Texas Grand Prix, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET and broadcast on FOX, covers 95 laps on the 2.3-mile Hermann Tilke-designed track. Van Gisbergen, the 36-year-old New Zealander driving the No. 97 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing, dominated road and street courses in 2025 with five victories in six starts. Those wins came at Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, and the Charlotte Roval, where he led 57 percent of the laps across the final five events. His streak ties the Cup Series record held by Jeff Gordon, and a victory at COTA would set a new mark for consecutive road course triumphs.

Van Gisbergen's road racing pedigree stems from three Supercars championships in Australia before his NASCAR debut. He made history in 2023 by winning the Chicago Street Race in his first Cup start, a feat unmatched in over 60 years. After a part-time schedule in 2024 with Kaulig Racing, he joined Trackhouse full time last year, securing the Rookie...