Corey LaJoie seemed excited after Trackhouse Racing revealed Shane van Gisbergen’s new car number for 2026. The former NASCAR Cup driver highlighted the team's choice to let drivers brand their car numbers around their identity.In a recent announcement video, Trackhouse handed each of its three full-time Cup drivers a letter to announce their 2026 number. SVG read a note from his father, Robert, which revealed his switch to No. 97. His father explained why the No. 97 matters to their family, as the Kiwi driver broke down reading the letter.Trackhouse also decided to let go of No. 99, which Daniel Suárez drove for five seasons since the team's debut. LaJoie lauded the team and its founder/owner, Justin Marks, for allowing the flexibility. He replied to SVG's emotional video on X, writing:"Man this is a big deal. Kudos to [Justin Marks] and [Trackhouse Racing] for seeing the value of branding the identity of a number around the driver rather than forcing the driver to conform to an arbitrary number."SVG spent the 2024 Xfinity Series full season in the No. 97 Chevy for Kaulig Racing and moved up to the Cup Series this year. He won five Cup races in the No. 88 car with Trackhouse and locked in to the playoffs in his rookie season.The roster shuffle now clears the No. 88 for rookie Connor Zilisch. The 19-year-old, who dominated the Xfinity Series this season with a record 10 wins, opened a letter from his former team owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Meanwhile, Ross Chastain also got a note from Justin Marks and will continue to drive the No. 1 car next season."It's amazing where we're at now compared to where we started" - Shane van Gisbergen on improvement at ovalsShane van Gisbergen started the year outside the top 30 but worked through struggles and improved his performance on ovals. He earned his first NASCAR Cup oval top 10 at Kansas in September, finished 11th at Talladega, and 14th at Martinsville.The 36-year-old also won his first oval race in a Legends car at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Pro Legends division during the final night of the Cook Out Summer Shootout."You know, Stephen was a pretty new crew chief, and the driver was the problem at that stage. It was all new to me, so I think we kind of built up together. Yeah, we were a 35th-, 36th-place car at the start of the year, and it's amazing where we're at now compared to where we started," Shane van Gisbergen said, via NASCAR.Shane van Gisbergen also won the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year award during the awards ceremony this Tuesday, November 4.