Shane van Gisbergen will make his second NASCAR Cup Series start at Sonoma Raceway in Northern California competing in the Toyota/Save Mart 350. Last season, van Gisbergen piloted the No. 88 Red Bull Chevrolet into victory lane at Sonoma.
That win marked Red Bull’s first victory in the Cup Series since 2011. In 2024, van Gisbergen also captured the win in his first NASCAR O’Reilly Series start, leading 32 laps after starting from the pole position. Van Gisbergen has two wins in three NASCAR National Series starts at the 10-turn road course.
“The car set up will be very different,” commented SVG. “At San Diego, we were very high, very soft to try to get over the bumps, get the car nice and compliant.
“When we go to Sonoma this weekend, it’s very smooth and high grip, so the car will be stiff and low. Everybody’s cars will be on the edge, which you have to have it like that to make grip. It’s cool to watch the differences. It’s cool to see differences in the cars on the weekend. This weekend everybody will be pushing hard and set up for the high grip.”
Van Gisbergen will also pilot the No. 9 SuperFile Chevrolet for JR Motorsports this weekend in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race. This marks his third start in the series this season.
“I have a favorite section. At the end of Sonoma, we leave the hairpin and come down the hill, there are these fast right and left handers. Before you get to the hairpin, it’s a very challenging but rewarding section to get right. There is a lot of time you can gain or lose there. Coming back down the hill is really spectacular to watch.”
Van Gisbergen enters this weekend at Sonoma 17th in the Cup Series driver standings, three points below 16th-place, the final spot in The Chase.
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