For decades, the early careers of NASCAR legends like Dale Earnhardt, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, and Davey Allison very quickly set the bar sky-high. They came into Cup and started winning almost right away, putting up numbers that made people whisper “future champion” before the rookie stripes were even off the car.

When a new driver shows up and starts collecting trophies fast, the first 50 starts become the measuring stick everyone watches. Then Shane van Gisbergen showed up from New Zealand, climbed into Trackhouse No. 88, and quietly turned that measuring stick into firewood.

Shane van Gisbergen just grabbed a new record

By his 50th Cup start in 2025, Shane van Gisbergen had six wins. Six. That’s one more than Tony Stewart managed in his first fifty, three more than Dale Earnhar

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