Shane van Gisbergen showcases “fresh Red Bull lid” ahead of his rookie NASCAR Cup Series season

Shane van Gisbergen made a historic debut in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the inaugural Chicago Street Circuit race, becoming the first driver in the sport's history since 1963 to win on debut. His switch to competing full-time in NASCAR was accelerated after that and he joined the Xfinity Series in 2024.

Having taken three more victories on road courses, SVG is finally set to start his first full-time Cup season. With the start of the season almost upon us, the New Zealander took to X (formerly Twitter) on January 29 to share his new helmet livery featuring the Red Bull name.

"Fresh @RedBullUS lid for the kick-off of my first NASCAR Cup Series 😀" the Kiwi wrote on X as he shared the new design.

The partnership between Red Bull and Shane van Gisbergen dates back to 2016 when the New Zealander was racing in the Australian Supercars series, winning three championships with the Austrian brand in 2016, 2021, and 2022. Trackhouse Racing announced earlier in January that Red Bull will return to NASCAR as a sponsor after a 14-year absence.

The energy drink giant will partner with Trackhouse to support van Gisbergen and 18-year-old Connor Zilisch, who will debut in the Cup Series this March. The Red Bull brand will feature on SVG’s No. 88 car for five Cup races.

Those five races will be: Pennzoil 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway, Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the Daytona International Speedway, and Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

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Shane van Gisbergen would love to honor Red Bull with a win

With all of his 4 victories in NASCAR coming at road/street courses, Shane van Gisbergen will have a great chance at securing a playoff berth with five such tracks scheduled in the 2025 regular season. While it would be a bit of a stretch to imagine SVG making it very deep into the playoffs as he is yet to become comfortable with oval tracks, a place in the top 16 drivers will arguably count as a successful start to his Cup Series career.

Gisbergen recently disclosed what he'd like to achieve in 2025 to show his appreciation for Red Bull’s continued support as the sponsor of his No. 88 ride for Trackhouse. He said he would love to win one of the five races that Red Bull will sponsor.

"I have enjoyed a lot of new experiences and met a lot of new people since coming to NASCAR but it is nice to be joined by Red Bull, who has been a big supporter of mine for many years back home. I'd love nothing more than to give Red Bull a victory as a way to thank them for joining myself, Connor, and Trackhouse Racing," Shane van Gisbergen said (as quoted by Racer).

With Sonoma Raceway being the only road course track where SVG will have Red Bull’s branding on his car, there is a chance that he’ll be able to make his wish come true.