Breakout NASCAR star Shane van Gisbergen has revealed a number change for his second full-time Cup Series year.
Van Gisbergen strolled to the Rookie of the Year title this year with a record five wins (all on road or street courses) behind the wheel of the Trackhouse Racing No. 88 car.
However, the Kiwi will run the number 97 from 2026 onward, reuniting with the number he ran back in his homeland, and which was his father's racing number before him.
Trackhouse's numbers for 2026 were revealed in an emotional video in which people in their lives wrote them letters about their new racing identifiers, with Van Gisbergen's father Robert writing an emotional one to his son, as shown in a video released by the team.
Van Gisbergen reacts to number swap
The Trackhouse star said: “It’s awesome to carry a car number that is so special to me. When Justin offered me the opportunity to change to the No. 97, it was pretty special. It’s a number that means a lot to my family and me.
"My dad used it in his racing career, so when I started racing, I wanted to use it too, and then basically I’ve used the No. 97 in everything since. I’ve had many special moments with that number and it’s cool to get the opportunity to create even more in the Cup Series.”
Crew chief Stephen Doran added: “The 2025 season was pretty special but I'm already starting to look ahead to 2026 and see where we can improve and build off our past success. Shane is one of the best road course drivers NASCAR has ever seen and it's an honor to be part of it.
"Just being able to build from the very beginning with Shane and adapt to his driving style and learn off each other, it's special. I'm really looking forward to accomplishing more together next season.”
