Shane van Gisbergen stole the attention of the motorsports world Sunday evening by winning his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Chicago street course. Van Gisbergen, a New Zealand native who holds three titles in Australia's Supercars Championship, put his talent on full display and made a name for himself in the American motorsports world by driving the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing machine to victory lane in the Windy City. 

HE'S DONE IT!

In his first start, @shanevg97 wins in the NASCAR Cup Series! pic.twitter.com/Da60jIMj52

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 3, 2023

As a race car driver who is accustomed to turning left and right, it may not come as a complete shock that van Gisbergen was at the front of the field after 75 laps around the Chicago street course. However, it may be more surprising to learn that van Gisbergen has experience racing Sprint Cars on dirt ovals in his home country. 

That's right. Shane van Gisbergen is also a dirt racer. 

This past December, van Gisbergen made his Sprint Car debut at Western Springs Speedway in Auckland, New Zealand. He finished 14th in that race, a race won by New Zealand dirt racing star Michael Pickens. 

Less than a month later, on January 21, the talented Kiwi driver checked off a box by winning his first Sprint Car race at Robertson Prestige International Speedway in Palmerston North, New Zealand. 

That race was his last behind the wheel of a Sprint Car before van Gisbergen had to return to Australia for his Supercar driving duties. After the race in Palmerston North, he indicated his desire to do more Sprint Car racing during the offseason. 

"They're absolute beasts," van Gisbergen said in an interview with v8sleuth.com. "You sit in them like you're in a bus. It's the most foreign feeling but you get the biggest rush. The races last for five minutes but so much can happen." 

At this time, it's unknown when van Gisbergen will climb back into a Sprint Car, but he will surely have a lot more attention on him when he does.