One week after watching his race end in a crash at the inaugural San Diego Street Race, Shane van Gisbergen wasted little time reminding the NASCAR O’Reilly Series garage who the road-course king is.
Van Gisbergen stormed to the pole Friday at Sonoma Raceway, then backed it up by leading the speed charts in practice, sending an early warning to the rest of the field that he’s once again the driver to beat.
If there was any lingering frustration from last weekend’s wreck, SVG left it in Southern California.
The New Zealander looked completely in command around Sonoma’s technical 1.99-mile circuit, attacking every corner with the precision that has made him one of the most feared road racers in the world. Fastest in qualifying. Fastest in practice. Mission accomplished.
Road courses have become van Gisbergen’s playground since arriving in NASCAR, and Sonoma appears to be no different. While the rest of the field searches for speed, SVG already seems to have found another gear.
After being denied a shot at victory in San Diego through no fault of his own, van Gisbergen enters Saturday’s O’Reilly Series race with clear momentum and the best starting position on the grid. If Friday was any indication, the rest of the field may be racing for second.
SVG is back on the prowl—and this time, he looks determined not to let anyone take the win away from him.
