SVG Leads 62 Laps in Sonoma O'Reilly Victory

Shane van Gisbergen turned pole position at Sonoma Raceway into a dominant NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory, winning the Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 after pacing qualifying with a lap of 1:15.029, or 95.483 mph. He edged 18-year-old Brent Crews by 0.189 seconds, with Taylor Gray third. Van Gisbergen said Crews and teammate Connor Zilisch could be serious threats in the race.

The rest of the qualifying session brought mixed results for several contenders. Connor Zilisch, the defending race winner, qualified 30th after a tire lost air during his run and was expected to start from the rear after a tire change. Austin Green crashed into the Turn 11 tire barrier in practice after brake failure and did not complete a qualifying run, while Brad Perez also failed to record a qualifying time. Justin Allgaier qualified ninth and held a 224-point lead over Jesse Love in the series standings. The top 10 also included Anthony Alfredo, Parker Retzlaff, Corey Day, Jesse Love, Sam Mayer and Austin Hill.

Van Gisbergen carried his speed into the race and controlled it from the front, leading 62 of 75 laps in the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. He regained the lead in Stage 2 and did not give it back, holding off Zilisch by 1.324 seconds. Zilisch had been slowed by a pit lane speeding penalty in Stage 1 and later lost time in traffic after a strategy call. The race included several cautions and incidents, and the win was described as one of the most dominant performances of van Gisbergen’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career.