27 Days to Daytona: Trackhouse Racing #88

For the first time since Alex Bowman wheeled the number in 2020, the 88 returns to the Cup Series. With the sale of 3 of the former Stewart-Haas Racing charters, the spot that would have been used by the former 14 team now is used by Trackhouse Racing’s new team. Expanding from two to three cars, Trackhouse will put New Zealand sensation Shane van Gisbergen behind the wheel. What will the rookie have in store for the Trackhouse Racing #88 team in 27 Days to Daytona?

The #88 Team

Days to Daytona: Trackhouse Racing #88 - Team — Photo by Keenan Hairston/Getty Images

Driver: Shane van Gisbergen

Crew Chief: Stephen Doran

Sponsors: WeatherTech, Safety Culture

2024 Statistics: 12 Starts, 1 Top-5, 2 Top-10s, 49 Laps Led, 22.8 Average Finish

2025 Season Preview

Where to Set the Expectations?

After pulling off an impressive debut win at Chicago, many have since been wondering how strong Shane van Gisbergen could run fulltime in Cup. This season will be the year where everyone gets that answer. However, setting the expectations for Gisbergen is a bit tough. While it would be simple to pencil him in for a road course win, he failed to do so in his 4 Cup starts. He struggled on ovals in Cup, but his Xfinity tenure demonstrated great growth the second time starting at the same track. It might be tough to pinpoint his expectations, but Trackhouse is hoping SVG’s first year in Cup grants them another playoff driver.

Road Course Winner?

As mentioned above, the bare minimum expectation for many will be to see Shane van Gisbergen pick up a road course. Although he did not win one in limited starts last year, he was a mistake away at Watkins Glen from doing so. Plus, he dominated the road races in the Xfinity Series. In theory, Trackhouse will house better equipment than what Kaulig was supplying as well. However, the Cup Series is filled with excellent road courses. Gisbergen will have to contend with the likes of Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, AJ Allmendinger, Chris Buescher, and others. There will be road courses where SVG will be the favorite, but it would naive to simply think he waltzes in and dominates.

Trackhouse Expansion

After a season where performance dipped a bit, Trackhouse Racing is entering 2025 with a full slate of plans. In addition to their now 3 fulltime Cup teams, Trackhouse will be utilizing Project91 more, including having Helio Castroneves race the Daytona. According to Justin Marks, the hope is to make multiple Cup starts with the 91 car. On top of the Cup schedule, Trackhouse is in a partnership with JR Motorsports for Connor Zilisch’s Xfinity Series season as well as part time starts for SVG and Ross Chastain. Throw in a Rolex 24 entry with their MotoGP teams and that is a tremendous amount of ongoings for one team. Will it prove to be too much for their Cup aspirations? Could SVG find more struggles than expected due to Trackhouse spreading themselves too thin?

Daytona 500 Preview

Days to Daytona: Trackhouse Racing #88 - SVG — Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

In his 12 Cup starts last year, Shane van Gisbergen made 4 of them on superspeedways. One of those was during the summer race at Daytona. Due to an engine issue, SVG only managed to complete 80 of the 164 laps. In his other superspeedway starts, Gisbergen struggled to be competitive. Including his Daytona DNF, Gisbergen’s first 3 superspeedway starts saw him finish outside the Top-25 each time. However, his second trip to Talladega saw him net a Top-15.

Honestly, there are low expectations for Shane van Gisbergen heading into the start of the season. Back-to-back superspeedways will not be a good litmus test for how his rookie year will go. That said, Trackhouse has quality equipment and SVG has learned the draft well enough to be more than an afterthought. Who knows, maybe the 88 team can shock the NASCAR world and win the big one. Crazier things have happened.