SONOMA, Calif. — Fresh off a weekend sweep at the Chicago Street Circuit, Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen picked up right where he left off by driving a pair of Chevrolet-powered machines to a sweep of the pole wins at Sonoma Raceway.
Concluding the NASCAR Cup Series practice session fastest on the best 10-lap average, the 36-year-old New Zealand native drove his No. 88 Chevrolet to the top of the qualifying speed charts on his final run by posting a best-lap of 1:14.594.
He was the only driver to hit speeds at 96 mph around the 1.99-mile California circuit.
Van Gisbergen’s fourth career pole in NASCAR’s top division was enough to push Chevrolet to a double-digit record in qualifying triumphs this season, with the Bowtie brigade earning the pole position for the 10th time in 20 points-paying races.
“It’s pretty awesome. We’ve had a really cool couple of weeks,” Van Gisbergen said. “You just feel the energy in the shop when you walk in on Monday and Tuesday. Even the stay-at-home guys and girls preparing the cars — it’s just a cool atmosphere in the shop. Everyone’s lifted up. Ross’s win kind of started it at the Coke 600, and we just got better and better. So yeah, it’s really cool for everyone.”
Also claiming the pole position for today’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race aboard a JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Van Gisbergen is one step closer to adding onto NASCAR history once again this weekend.
The Rookie of the Year contender could potentially become the only driver in history to sweep the pole and race wins in NASCAR’s top-two divisions more than once.
Van Gisbergen will share the front row with Chase Briscoe, who drove his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to a 1:18.844 lap.
Chevrolet drivers William Byron, Ross Chastain and A.J. Allmendinger completed the top five.
