Shane van Gisbergen, top, celebrates in victory lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series race in Watkins Glen, N.Y., on Sunday. (AP photo)

Labeling statistics as “kind of an American thing,” Shane van Gisbergen avoids dwelling on his record-setting rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series.

“It normally hits me on the plane ride home or at 4 a.m. after a few beers,” van Gisbergen said Sunday after conquering the Watkins Glen International road course in New York for his fourth victory this year. “I try to reflect on it, but I also try and get to the next week pretty quick. I’ll try not to tweet at 4 a.m. this morning.”

If the laid-back Kiwi were into chest-pounding on social media, the list of heady accomplishments includes being the third driver with four consecutive Cup wins on road or street courses, joining 2020 champion Chase Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon.

It also includes being the first rookie with four victories — breaking a tie with seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson and three-time champion Tony Stewart — and the largest margin of victory (11.116 seconds) in Watkins Glen history and second largest this season behind his 16.567-second win at Mexico City that was the biggest gap from first to second since 2009.

The next achievement could be the loftiest yet for the driver from Auckland, New Zealand, who struggles massively on the ovals that comprise most of the season.

Can van Gisbergen be a legitimate championship contender in Year 1?

Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks, who put his reputation on the line and convinced sponsors to risk millions on an audacious plan to make the Cup playoffs with an inexperienced and unheralded rookie, suggests a deep run awaits the No. 88 Chevrolet.

“Shane just continues to go showcase why we’ve made a long-term commitment to him, why we brought him over here from New Zealand and built this team around him,” said Marks, who signed van Gisbergen to a multiyear extension last week. “Because in a sport like this where winning is so important and so hard to do, if you can catch some lightning in a bottle like we’ve got with SVG, you’ve got to really lean into it. That’s what we’ve done. It’s like seeing a plan come together.”

The plan now has a path to the doorstep of a Cup title.

The first round of 16 drivers is contested on three ovals, but van Gisbergen has a sizable 22-point cushion (victories are worth five points apiece for the playoffs) to overcome a 26.9 average finish on ovals.

Pared down to 12 drivers, the second round features a road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway. A win there would catapult a driver into the third round, where eight drivers will square off for four berths in the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway.

“He’s in a really good position,” Marks said. “I think we have a real opportunity to get to the Round of 8.”

Natalie Decker will make her much-anticipated return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series when she straps into the No. 92 Chevrolet for DGM Racing in the Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

The Wisconsin native will share the superspeedway stage with teammate Josh Bilicki, as both drivers will feature primary sponsorship from Wawa. This outing will be a milestone for Decker, who will reportedly become the first woman to compete in a NASCAR event after giving birth, a moment that adds historic significance to her comeback.

Natalie Decker Makes Historic Return to the Track

DGM Racing announced the news on social media, calling it “The Daytona Double.” Wawa logos will appear on both the No. 91 and No. 92 entries.

Also announcing the news on X, a veteran NASCAR journalist wrote, “NEWS: @NatalieRacing will return to NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at @DAYTONA, driving the No. 92 Chevrolet for @DGMRacingFL. Decker will join @JoshBilicki as teammates that weekend, with both drivers picking up sponsorship from @Wawa.

Before she gave birth to her baby in February this year, Decker last competed in the Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2024. Over the years, she has made limited starts in the Xfinity Series while also racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series.

Her return comes at a track where she’s already proven speed and racecraft. Decker has four career starts at Daytona, two in the Truck Series and two in the Xfinity Series.

Her best finishes in both series came at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. She finished fifth in the Truck Series 2020 season opener, the highest-ever finish for a female driver in that series. She also secured an 18th-place finish with DGM Racing last season.

Daytona’s drafting-style racing has often produced upsets, and Decker’s previous runs have shown she can navigate the chaotic pack racing that defines the superspeedway.

Bilicki, her DGM Racing partner for the weekend, will drive the No. 91 Chevrolet in the same race. The Wisconsin pairing also brings a hometown connection for Wawa’s sponsorship, with the convenience store chain also serving as the title sponsor of the race itself.

The Wawa 250, set for next Saturday, is a staple of the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule and often serves as one of the season’s most unpredictable showdowns. For Decker, it’s more than just a race. It’s the latest chapter in a career that has navigated injuries, part-time schedules, and now motherhood.

• New Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) merchandise and memorabilia business will include sales of championship winning race components, scale models and apparel
• In a historic first, HRC will auction the last V10 Honda F1 engine raced by the legendary Aryton Senna
• Historic racing machines to be displayed at Car Week include race and championship winners from Formula 1, IMSA, World Challenge and Isle of Man Tourist Trophy

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), the global racing arm of Honda, will launch a new merchandise and memorabilia business this week during California’s famed Monterey Car Week, the world’s top gathering of automotive and motorsports enthusiasts. To commemorate the new memorabilia business, HRC will auction the Honda V10 engine used by Ayrton Senna in his McLaren Honda MP4/5B during the final two rounds of the 1990 Formula 1 season. The historic engine, artfully displayed in a bespoke case, will be auctioned by Bonhams during the prestigious The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering at Quail Lodge on Aug.15.  

“Throughout our history, Honda has won at the highest levels of motorsports all over the world, and the new HRC merchandise and memorabilia business is all about sharing our incredible racing heritage with our race fans in exciting new ways,” said Jon Ikeda, senior vice president, Honda Racing Corporation US. “HRC will build an even stronger connection with Honda and Acura enthusiasts by offering exclusive opportunities to own a piece of racing history, including limited-edition collectibles and rare artifacts from our storied legacy in motorsport.”

HRC also will celebrate the company’s more than six decades of two-wheel and four-wheel motorsports heritage during Monterey Car Week. Iconic Honda and Acura racing machines will be displayed at both The Quail and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca Raceway (Aug. 13-16), including championship winners from F1, IMSA, World Challenge and Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.

Honda RA100E V10 Engine Auction
The 1990 Formula 1 season marked the final year for the Honda V10 engine, with this particular unit (V805) powering Ayrton Senna’s McLaren Honda MP4/5B during the final two rounds – making it the last Honda V10 Formula One unit ever raced by the three-time F1 champion (1988, 1990, 1991). This unit was used during the warmup for the Japanese Grand Prix (round 15) and raced in the Australian Grand Prix (round 16). Senna secured his second Drivers’ Championship that year, while he and teammate Gerhard Berger earned McLaren Honda a third-consecutive Constructors’ Championship.

During this time, all Honda F1 engines were sent back to Japan immediately after each race to be dismantled, investigated and learnings applied to future engine development. As a result of this process, it was costly to keep the used engines, and they were normally disposed of after diagnosis. It is for this reason very few historic Formula One engines still exist today. As the last Honda V10 Formula 1 engine, and development of the new V12 for the 1991 season already underway, there was no need to dismantle and examine this unit. Rather than the engine being disposed of, it was sent to the archives where it remained until recently.

The RA100E-V805 engine has been faithfully disassembled at the HRC facility in Sakura, Japan by the original builders of these very special winning engines. The item up for auction includes various internal and external components, such as camshafts, cam covers, pistons and connecting rods. All items are beautifully housed in a bespoke display case, accompanied by an original HRC certificate of authenticity.

Race Car Activations
HRC will display and demonstrate multiple race and championship winning machines throughout Monterey Car Week in celebration of the company’s racing success, the 60th anniversary of the first Honda F1 victory, as well as the 75th anniversary of Formula 1.

• Formula 1

• Honda RA272 – Winner of the 1965 Mexico Grand Prix – the first Honda F1 win, just 1 year after entering the sport. The RA272 will be displayed at both The Quail and the Motorsports Reunion.
• Williams FW11 – The FW11, which brought Honda its first F1 constructors’ title in 1986, will participate in the F1 Exhibition demo laps at the Motorsports Reunion driven by two-time Indy500 winner Takuma Sato. The race machine was recently driven at the historic Goodwood Festival of Speed following a full restoration in partnership with Williams F1.
• McLaren Honda MP4/7 – Winner of five Formula 1 races during the 1992 season, including the iconic Monaco GP. The MP4/7, driven by Aryton Senna and Gerhard Berger, marked the conclusion of a dominant McLaren Honda partnership and the company’s second era in F1. The MP4/7 will be displayed at the Motorsports Reunion.
• 2025 Red Bull Racing RB21 Show Car – Representing the current F1 entry, the RB21 is powered by the Honda RBPTH003 and has seen wins at the Japanese and Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. It will be displayed at the Motorsports Reunion.

• ALMS/IMSA

• Acura ARX-01b – Driven to multiple race wins in the 2008 season, the Acura ARX-01b is entered into the Scott Pruett Legends of Endurance Cup at the Motorsports Reunion by its private owner. This marks the second year the ARX-01b has competed in the historic races, following its maiden entry and win in 2024 with former Acura IMSA driver, Ricky Taylor at the helm.
• Acura ARX-06 – Acura’s current IMSA GTP entry, the #93 ARX-06 in Phillips 66 livery, will be displayed at The Quail and the Motorsports Reunion.

• World Challenge

• Realtime Racing Acura NSX GT – Driven by SCCA Hall of Famer Peter Cunningham, this Acura NSX won 8 races in 3 seasons including a Drivers’ Championship in 1997. It returned to racing in 2001 where it finished second in the Championship two years running. The Acura NSX GT will compete in the Scott Pruett Legends of Endurance Cup at the Motorsports Reunion, driven by current Acura IMSA driver Nick Yelloly.

• Isle of Man Tourist Trophy

• Honda RC145 – The #6 machine won all 10 rounds of the 1962 World Grand Prix and the Isle of Man TT races, ridden by Luigi Taveri. Featuring a high-revving 125cc 4-stroke, parallel 2-cylinder engine, the Honda RC145 emits a sharp, unforgettable sound. The motorcycle will be displayed at The Quail.
• Honda RC163 – Introduced for the 1962 season, the four-cylinder 250cc RC163 was an evolution of the preceding year’s World Championship-winning Honda RC162. The RC163 was ridden to victory by Jim Redman, who won the 250cc World Championship in 1962, in addition to the 350cc title. The motorcycle will be displayed at The Quail.

Honda RA272 Scale Model by Amalgam Collection
In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the first Honda F1 win, Honda has partnered with Amalgam Collection to create incredibly detailed models of the Honda RA272 F1 race car that took victory at the 1965 Mexico Grand Prix. Only 30 examples of the limited edition 1:8 scale models available worldwide, while 300 copies will be made of the smaller 1:18 scale.