By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
SONOMA, Calif. — Where one driver was concerned, Friday’s qualifying session for the Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 at Sonoma Raceway followed form.
Road course master Shane van Gisbergen put his No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet on the pole for Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race with a lap at 95.483 mph (75.029 seconds), beating teenager Brent Crews (95.243 mph) for the top starting spot by 0.189 seconds.
Conversely, for defending race winner Connor Zilisch, the qualifying session was a struggle, thanks to a tire that was losing air throughout his run. Zilisch earned the 30th starting position and will have to come through the field if he hopes to challenge van Gisbergen and other frontrunners for the win.
“Pretty awesome day,” said van Gisbergen, who won the O’Reilly Series race at Sonoma in 2024 and finished second to Zilisch last year. “It’s a tricky track here with the wind, the way the direction was today…
“It’s always fun driving for JR Motorsports. We get excited every time we get a chance to drive the No. 9 car. We know we’ve got a great shot to win the race… All practice we were quick, and my lap in qualifying was pretty decent as well, so stoked to start up front.”
Both van Gisbergen and Crews posted their laps in the first qualifying group. Third-place starter Taylor Gray of Joe Gibbs Racing (94.947 mph) had the fastest lap among drivers in Group 2. Anthony Alfredo (94.865 mph) claimed the fourth spot on the grid, followed by Viking Motorsports teammate Parker Retzlaff (94.662 mph) and Hendrick Motorsports’ Corey Day (94.630 mph).
Jesse Love, series leader Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer and last Saturday’s Naval Base Coronado winner Austin Hill claimed starting spots seven through 10, respectively.
Allgaier, who already has clinched a spot in the postseason Chase, holds a 224-point lead in the standings over second-place Love, the defending series champion.
With a mock qualifying run at the close of practice, Day edged van Gisbergen for the fastest lap at 93.802 mph, but that speed paled in comparison to the laps posted during qualifying. Day enters the race third in points, 238 behind Allgaier.
Austin Green did not make a qualifying run after burying his No. 87 Chevrolet in the Turn 11 tire barrier and knocking the concrete wall behind the tires out of position—thanks to a brake failure during practice, which was extended after repairs to the wall.
Interview: NOAPS Pole Winner – Shane van Gisbergen (No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet) –
