February hasn’t even begun yet, and the divided comments are already beginning. Trackhouse Racing might be the NASCAR Cup Series team attracting the most eyeballs ahead of the season. It is hosting a star-studded affair for the Daytona 500, as all four of its drivers hail from different countries – including New Zealand speedster Shane van Gisbergen. But before Daytona, Trackhouse is also preparing a snazzy reveal for the 2025 Clash race.
The exhibition race is moving to a different venue this year, the Bowman Gray Stadium. NASCAR’s premier level had not visited the Madhouse since 1971 – and unlike the L.A. Coliseum, the track at Winston-Salem will be freezing cold. Trackhouse is hosting colors in this winter mood, although all the fans may not like it.
Shane van Gisbergen’s new livery reveal
Well, this is all that the Kiwi speedster dreamed about since joining NASCAR in 2023. The three-time Supercars champion made a splash at the Chicago Street Race that year, picking up a Cup trophy on his debut. After a year of Xfinity Series experience when he picked up three road course victories, Shane van Gisbergen is finally on the Cup grid. And Trackhouse Racing is trying to make his full-time debut as spectacular as possible. The team is already known for its quirky advertisement campaigns and paint schemes. What can be better than finally roping in SVG for their posters?
Trackhouse Racing posted a stylish car reveal on Twitter. Their poster features the No. 88 and No. 1 Chevrolets, to be driven by Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain respectively. Bathed in blue and black colors, the cars are also splashed with neon green and white for the logos. The huge glowing blue Trackhouse Racing logo shines above the rides. The caption read: “Looking good, @RossChastain and @shanevg97. We’ve joined forces with our great partners at Bowman Gray to showcase our new brand identity.” Last year, Chastain promoted Jockey by having a nothing-but-briefs picture plastered on his car door.
Looking good, @RossChastain and @shanevg97.
We’ve joined forces with our great partners at Bowman Gray to showcase our new brand identity. https://t.co/wzi0DiDitQ pic.twitter.com/oz2XCFwLgy
— Trackhouse Racing (@TeamTrackhouse) January 29, 2025
This year, Trackhouse Racing has a lot of scope to design and innovate with Shane van Gisbergen. That is all the more possible because Red Bull has hopped aboard Justin Marks‘ organization. The global energy drink brand is famously associated with Formula One – but was even in NASCAR from 2006 to 2011. What is more, SVG has been a Red Bull athlete since 2016 when he raced in Supercars. The Kiwi is pumped about this partnership: “It is nice to be joined by Red Bull who has been a big supporter of mine for many years back home,” said Van Gisbergen. 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.”
Yet fans just divided into two factions over Trackhouse’s new reveal. And the debate particularly involves Shane van Gisbergen.
Rocking both sides of the boat
Well, first of all, having an F1 fixture in a NASCAR race is something iconic. When Red Bull was in NASCAR, it was a Dodge team in 2006 and became one of the first Toyota teams in 2007. In 2011, it was sold to BK Racing. Given the brand’s prior presence in NASCAR, fans could not help but get excited. Some people loved the bright red charging-bull logo on the No. 88. “That little bit of @redbull on the 88 is too good ” What fascinated another fan was the position of the logo – on the corners right beside the two headlights. Shane van Gisbergen’s car would look snazzy up front, as the fan wrote: “That RedBull accent around the grill is fabulous.”
However, doubts also crept into the comments section. Some people did not massively appreciate Trackhouse Racing‘s design for the Clash race. Fans criticized the team for filling up a unique part of the car, the A-Post. It is right beside the windshield. A fan wrote, “Oh god what is this apost shenanigans.” Both Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain’s cars feature ‘TRACKHOUSE’ on their A-posts, in bold white and green colors. Another fan chimed in that including anything there looks bad: “Don’t like the A post being a place for decals or text.”
However, the overarching view was that Trackhouse Racing did a fabulous job yet again. Ross Chastain’s ‘brief’ paint scheme with Jockey last year was spectacular, and fans are equally excited about this year’s Clash scheme. What is more, with road course ace Shane van Gisbergen on board, the paint schemes will live up to their stylish looks. “Schemes are on fire this year! LFG,” a fan wrote.
Evidently, Trackhouse Racing created a rift in the NASCAR fan community. We will only know the final verdict when fans see the cars in person at the Bowman Gray Stadium!
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