As the NASCAR Cup Series heads into Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, all eyes are once again on Shane van Gisbergen — and for good reason. The New Zealander is proving to be the king of road courses, and his performance this weekend only reinforces that status.
For the second consecutive weekend, van Gisbergen dominated time trials in both NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series action. On Saturday, he blitzed the 1.99-mile, 12-turn Sonoma layout in 74.594 seconds (96.040 mph), securing the pole position for Sunday’s race. Not only was it his first Busch Light Pole Award at Sonoma, but it also marked his third of the season and fourth of his burgeoning Cup Series career.
What’s perhaps most impressive is that van Gisbergen was the only driver to top the 96 mph mark in qualifying — a testament to his precision and speed on road circuits. He bested Chase Briscoe by a quarter-second, while William Byron, Ross Chastain, and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top five on the grid.
SVG’s qualifying performance builds on last weekend’s sweep in Chicago, where he claimed both poles and wins in the Cup and Xfinity Series on the city’s street course. And if Saturday’s pace is any indicator, another sweep isn’t out of the question.
“I thought it could be faster,” van Gisbergen said after his pole-winning run. “My first lap was just a banker almost. The second lap was really good.”
Indeed, the jump from his first lap (74.833 seconds) to his second (74.594) mirrored what others in Group 2 experienced, though SVG’s improvement was the most commanding. William Byron also made a substantial leap, highlighting the unusual grip levels offered by the series’ new soft tire compound.
Practice Standouts
Allmendinger, a known road course specialist, topped the charts in Saturday’s practice with a lap of 94.325 mph. He was followed closely by Gibbs, van Gisbergen, Chastain, and Kyle Larson. Notably, Daniel Suárez was the fastest in Group 1, while several drivers — including Brad Keselowski and all three Spire Motorsports entries — experienced off-track excursions during the session.
Playoff Pressure Builds
Beyond van Gisbergen’s headline-worthy pace, the Cup Series playoff picture is heating up. Ryan Preece, currently two points below the cut line, will start 20th, while Bubba Wallace — sitting two points above the line — rolls off 30th. With seven races remaining in the regular season, every position matters.
In-Season Challenge Highlights
Some key head-to-head matchups for the In-Season Challenge include:
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Ty Gibbs (6th) vs. Zane Smith (12th)
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Alex Bowman (9th) vs. Ty Dillon (26th)
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John Hunter Nemechek (18th) vs. Erik Jones (31st)
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Tyler Reddick (8th) vs. Ryan Preece (20th)
Can Anyone Catch SVG?
With back-to-back dominant weekends and pole-winning pace in both Cup and Xfinity competition, Shane van Gisbergen is establishing himself as NASCAR’s new road course ace. The question now: Can anyone stop him?
Sunday’s race may offer the answer — but if qualifying and recent history are any guide, SVG is well on his way to adding another chapter to his fast-growing NASCAR legacy.
Sonoma Raceway Cup Series Starting Lineup
Qualifying: July 12, 2025; Race: July 13, 2025
|
POSITION
|
BEST SPEED
|
BEST TIME
|
BEHIND
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
S. Van Gisbergen #88
|
96.040
|
1:14.594
|
Winner
|
|
2 |
C. Briscoe #19
|
95.719
|
1:14.844
|
0.250
|
|
3 |
W. Byron #24
|
95.488
|
1:15.025
|
0.431
|
|
4 |
R. Chastain #1
|
95.409
|
1:15.087
|
0.493
|
|
5 |
A. Allmendinger #16
|
95.367
|
1:15.120
|
0.526
|
|
6 |
T. Gibbs #54
|
95.357
|
1:15.128
|
0.534
|
|
7 |
R. Blaney #12
|
95.350
|
1:15.134
|
0.540
|
|
8 |
T. Reddick #45
|
95.296
|
1:15.176
|
0.582
|
|
9 |
A. Bowman #48
|
95.224
|
1:15.233
|
0.639
|
|
10 |
C. Bell #20
|
95.212
|
1:15.243
|
0.649
|
|
11 |
K. Larson #5
|
95.198
|
1:15.254
|
0.660
|
|
12 |
Z. Smith #38
|
95.167
|
1:15.278
|
0.684
|
|
13 |
C. Elliott #9
|
95.161
|
1:15.283
|
0.689
|
|
14 |
C. Buescher #17
|
95.047
|
1:15.373
|
0.779
|
|
15 |
M. McDowell #71
|
95.003
|
1:15.408
|
0.814
|
|
16 |
D. Hamlin #11
|
94.967
|
1:15.437
|
0.843
|
|
17 |
K. Busch #8
|
94.919
|
1:15.475
|
0.881
|
|
18 |
J. Nemechek #42
|
94.866
|
1:15.517
|
0.923
|
|
19 |
D. Suárez #99
|
94.808
|
1:15.563
|
0.969
|
|
20 |
R. Preece #60
|
94.776
|
1:15.589
|
0.995
|
|
21 |
B. Keselowski #6
|
94.732
|
1:15.624
|
1.030
|
|
22 |
J. Logano #22
|
94.726
|
1:15.629
|
1.035
|
|
23 |
C. Hocevar #77
|
94.679
|
1:15.666
|
1.072
|
|
24 |
A. Cindric #2
|
94.594
|
1:15.734
|
1.140
|
|
25 |
J. Berry #21
|
94.467
|
1:15.836
|
1.242
|
|
26 |
T. Dillon #10
|
94.222
|
1:16.033
|
1.439
|
|
27 |
C. Custer #41
|
94.112
|
1:16.122
|
1.528
|
|
28 |
R. Herbst #35
|
93.949
|
1:16.254
|
1.660
|
|
29 |
J. Haley #7
|
93.929
|
1:16.270
|
1.676
|
|
30 |
B. Wallace #23
|
93.923
|
1:16.275
|
1.681
|
|
31 |
E. Jones #43
|
93.896
|
1:16.297
|
1.703
|
|
32 |
N. Gragson #4
|
93.894
|
1:16.299
|
1.705
|
|
33 |
A. Dillon #3
|
93.695
|
1:16.461
|
1.867
|
|
34 |
R. Stenhouse Jr #47
|
93.497
|
1:16.623
|
2.029
|
|
35 |
T. Gilliland #34
|
93.364
|
1:16.732
|
2.138
|
|
36 |
C. Ware #51
|
92.465
|
1:17.478
|
2.884
|
|
37 |
K. Legge #78
|
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|
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|
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|
