The Kiwi went into the opening 250-kilometre race of the Gold Coast 500 weekend needing only to finish 24th or better to be crowned champion.
But he did much more than that, van Gisbergen charging to a comfortable 16s victory as he sealed the title.
It was a fitting outcome amid a dominant season for the Triple Eight driver, this a record-extending 20th win of the campaign.
"We had to beat one car to secure [the title], but we killed everyone," said van Gisbergen.
"What a year. It's been a lot of fun. I want to come out tomorrow and do the same job, so I'll keep focus. But it's certainly pretty special.
"I'm stoked. It's hard to put it into words yet."
David Reynolds converted pole into an early lead, although initially it was anything but comfortable as second-placed van Gisbergen tried to find a way past.
The Kiwi's charge was slowed at the end of the second lap, however, when he climbed over the tyre bundle on the inside of the last corner.
The slight delay was enough to give Reynolds some breathing space as the gap shifted out to just over a second.
In the laps that followed van Gisbergen steadily closed back onto the bumper of the Reynolds Mustang, before making another play for the lead at the hairpin on Lap 15.
Reynolds was able to stave off the challenge first time around, but was powerless to stop van Gisbergen from getting past at the hairpin the following lap.
Once in front van Gisbergen pulled just over a second clear, the gap then steadying until Reynolds made his first stop on Lap 24.
Van Gisbergen followed suit a lap later, popping out just ahead of Reynolds before resisting a brief challenge as his tyres came up to temperature.
From there van Gisbergen was again able to steadily pull away, the gap hovering at around a second and a half.
On Lap 40 Reynolds complained about a loose steering wheel, at which point the gap started to blow out.
By the midway point of the 85-lapper it was over three seconds, before ballooning to more than seven seconds when Reynolds made his second stop on Lap 52.
During that stop the Grove Racing crew was able to tighten the bolts on Reynolds' steering wheel during the fuel fill before sending him on his way.
Van Gisbergen took his second service on Lap 55, resuming with a very comfortable 11-second lead over Reynolds.
From there it was a case of cruising to the finish, van Gisbergen stretching his advantage over Reynolds to over 16s as he crossed the line to claim the title.
Chaz Mostert finished third, a position he passed Cam Waters for on Lap 48. The Walkinshaw Andretti United driver did manage to close in on Reynolds in the second stint, however ended the race with his own mirrors full of Will Davison.
In the end Davison couldn't find a way past and had to settle for fourth, while Waters finished fifth after surviving a wild spin at the first chicane.
The Tickford Racing driver smacked the wall on the exit of the chicane, his Mustang then tipped into a spin.
He somehow managed to avoid hitting the wall again and continue without significant damage.
"There was a fair bit happening," said Waters after the race. "I think I lost the rear at the first one and I couldn't save it. I hit the tyres and it flicked me around.
"I gassed it up and drove through the smoke and came out the other side. The car has been through a war, that's for sure."
Anton De Pasquale finished sixth ahead of Brodie Kostecki, James Courtney, Mark Winterbottom and Nick Percat.
The Gold Coast 500 continues tomorrow with qualifying (9:55am), a Top 10 Shootout (11:35am) and a second race (2:15pm).
Gold Coast 500 Race 1 results
| Cla | # | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97 |  Shane van Gisbergen |
Holden Commodore ZB | |||
| 2 | 26 |  David Reynolds |
Ford Mustang GT | 16.8514 | ||
| 3 | 25 | Chaz Mostert |
Holden Commodore ZB | 17.7941 | ||
| 4 | 17 | Will Davison |
Ford Mustang GT | 18.1125 | ||
| 5 | 6 | Cameron Waters |
Ford Mustang GT | 32.5661 | ||
| 6 | 11 | Anton De Pasquale |
Ford Mustang GT | 34.4391 | ||
| 7 | 99 | Brodie Kostecki | Holden Commodore ZB | 34.9309 | ||
| 8 | 5 | James Courtney |
Ford Mustang GT | 42.6231 | ||
| 9 | 18 | Mark Winterbottom |
Holden Commodore ZB | 58.9575 | ||
| 10 | 2 | Nick Percat |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'06.1061 | ||
| 11 | 55 | Thomas Randle |
Ford Mustang GT | 1'08.4999 | ||
| 12 | 3 | Tim Slade |
Ford Mustang GT | 1 lap | ||
| 13 | 34 | Jack Le Brocq |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1 lap | ||
| 14 | 88 | Broc Feeney | Holden Commodore ZB | 1 lap | ||
| 15 | 10 | Lee Holdsworth |
Ford Mustang GT | 1 lap | ||
| 16 | 22 | Chris Pither |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1 lap | ||
| 17 | 20 | Scott Pye |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1 lap | ||
| 18 | 35 | Todd Hazelwood |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1 lap | ||
| 19 | 31 | James Golding |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1 lap | ||
| 20 | 96 | Macauley Jones |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1 lap | ||
| 21 | 4 | Jack Smith |
Holden Commodore ZB | 2 laps | ||
| 22 | 14 | Bryce Fullwood |
Holden Commodore ZB | 2 laps | ||
| 23 | 56 | Jake Kostecki |
Ford Mustang GT | 3 laps | ||
| 24 | 9 | Will Brown |
Holden Commodore ZB | 15 laps | ||
| 8 | Andre Heimgartner |
Holden Commodore ZB | ||||
| View full results | ||||||
