Shane van Gisbergen scored a dominant win on Sunday afternoon at Watkins Glen International after leading 38 laps. Yet, this win became more special as his father, Robert, took part in the celebration.
Robert van Gisbergen, a former rally and sprint car racer, had not seen his son since last December due to health problems, but he finally made it to the United States for this weekend's race at Watkins Glen International.
"He can't travel at the moment, unfortunately," van Gisbergen told AltDriver in early July. "He's got some blood clots in his legs, so he can't be here, and he's wanted to do two or three trips already this year.
"And it's a shame not to have him here, but he's up early, watching all the practices and qualifiers. He's the biggest fan."
MORE: Shane van Gisbergen wins, full results
Robert finally had the opportunity to attend a race in person again. He watched as his son started second and scored his fourth win of the season, which tied Denny Hamlin for the Cup Series lead.
Robert watched as van Gisbergen locked up even more playoff points, taking him to 22 on the season.
Robert then watched as his son did a massive burnout, which involved him giving Trackhouse Racing crew members high fives as he guided the No. 88 Chevrolet down the frontstretch.
Smoked 'em, Shane. 💨 pic.twitter.com/TwK7uUtdB7
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 10, 2025
Robert also watched as his son did his signature post-race celebration, which featured the New Zealand native booting a rugby ball over the catchfence to the excited fans.
"He came to Chicago and then he came two or three times last year," van Gisbergen said about his father. "But yeah, it's been pretty difficult. He lost his wife, my mother, and then his sister and then his mom a month or so ago. It's been a really rough run for Dad. It's hard to support him when I'm on the other side of the world.
"That's probably why I'm the most homesick. Then my sister has moved away as well, so he's kind of by himself all of a sudden. I try and talk to him every day, and yeah, to have him here, and like he was almost in tears, too. It's really special to share that, because we're a long way from home."
Van Gisbergen will take advantage of this time with his father. He will celebrate a special win at a time when he is homesick. He will also prepare for his first Cup Series playoff appearance, which begins with the Round of 16.
How will this first round treat van Gisbergen? He remains unsure about the answer. After all, he has the third-most playoff points in the series, which could help him cruise through to the Round of 12. He also has to face off with three wildly different ovals.
"Who knows, but it ain't gonna be easy, that's for sure," van Gisbergen told NBC Sports reporter Marty Snider. "The first round has some very difficult left-hander tracks for me, but I'm getting better at it and I'm enjoying myself.
"It's a challenge, you know, but that's why we're here. And we'll have a proper crack (at it)."