NASCAR 2026: Brad Keselowski admits he was 'WRONG' about rival

Brad Keselowski has admitted that he completely misjudged a fellow NASCAR driver upon his arrival in the Cup Series.

Shane van Gisbergen was a late-career transfer from the Australian Supercars series, arriving to run a couple of road courses in 2023 at the age of 34 and immediately winning at the Chicago street course.

The New Zealander then raced full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2024, gaining crucial oval experience while cementing his status as one of the sport's better road course drivers before being chosen over Zane Smith by Trackhouse Racing for 2025.

Van Gisbergen was maybe the sensation of the Cup Series in his rookie year, winning five straight road course races to smash the record for the number of Cup wins for a foreign-born driver and waltz into the playoffs.

NASCAR TODAY: Kyle Larson in explicit verdict, Cup star hit with 0.08mph speeding penalty

Keselowski: I was wrong

The biggest difference in Van Gisbergen's reputation, however, may have come at the end of last year and the beginning of 2026, which has seen him become a driver who can also reliably achieve strong finishes at ovals.

Keselowski admitted that he didn't hold out much hope for 'SVG' making a good fist of things stateside, admitting on the Dale Jr Download this week: “I was wrong.

"We’re all like, ‘Huh? Well, you know, he’s a V8 Supercar guy. It was raining. It was a track nobody’s ever run again. Trackhouse has great cars, street courses, where you come from'. Everything worked perfectly for him.”

He added: “I was surprised when they cut Zane for Shane. And I’m going to just go ahead and say right here, I was wrong.

“I got to tell you, now that 2026 has come along and he’s had such a fantastic start to the year, I feel like I was wrong. Now, SVG is almost becoming the face of Trackhouse. Like he’s the guy that’s going to win probably three to five races this year.”