NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson hails Cup Series star a 'hell of a talent'

NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson has issued a glowing verdict on a current Cup Series driver, hailing him as a 'hell of a talent'.

It would be fair to say that Johnson knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed at the very top level, too, with the 49-year-old having won seven Cup Series championships during his career, including 83 victories and two Daytona 500s.

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Last week, Johnson spoke to the media after it was confirmed that NASCAR would be running a new street race at an active US Navy base in San Diego in 2026, and one of the questions he was asked revolved around Shane van Gisbergen.

The former Supercars champion races full-time in the Cup Series and has had tremendous success on road courses in 2025, winning races in Mexico City, Chicago, and at Sonoma.

And, when asked if there was any way of 'SvG-proofing' the track at San Diego, Johnson offered a glowing verdict on the Kiwi, who has caused some controversy this season due to the disparity between his ability on road courses compared to ovals.

"No, especially on a street circuit," Johnson responded.

"Especially first-time to a circuit, he just has a whole different set of tools to put into play.

"Good for him. He’s a hell of a talent."

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Shane van Gisbergen: Ovals record v road courses in 2025

After competing full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2024, Shane van Gisbergen stepped up to the Cup full-time in 2025, driving the No. 88 for Trackhouse Racing.

Trackhouse's faith in the Kiwi has already been repaid, with the team locked into the playoffs ever since SvG's win in Mexico City last month.

However, if he is to make any progress in those playoffs, SvG will need to show a rapid improvement away from road courses.

So far this season, SvG's road course finishes have been sixth, first, first, and first. However, despite there having been over four times as many races on ovals, he is yet to even finish inside the top 10 on what is the more traditional NASCAR layout.

In fact, he has only finished inside the top 20 on four occasions, and none of them were that close to the top 10 mark, with results in 14th, 18th, 20th and 20th.

Come the playoffs, barring a remarkable turnaround, it's hard to see SvG progressing past the first round.

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