Shane van Gisbergen wins Xfinity Series pole award at Sonoma Raceway

Back on a road course and on the pole! Shane van Gisbergen was quickest in qualifying at Sonoma Raceway. SVG will lead the NASCAR Xfinity Series to green later tonight.

Ty Gibbs tried his best, but Shane van Gisbergen was too good to beat. The Kiwi was able to put his No. 97 Kaulig Racing car on the pole and has a great shot at his second win in a row today.

When it comes to the lefts and the rights, there likely is no one as good as van Gisbergen. First career pole a week after his first win. Is win two on the way?

Repost to congratulate SVG on his first career Xfinity Series POLE at Sonoma Raceway. Can anybody stop him today??@shanevg97 | #NASCAR https://t.co/NxqxWS0kSk pic.twitter.com/VzyoMOaWsn

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 8, 2024

We saw last weekend at Portland that it wasn’t so simple for Shane van Gisbergen. He did not lead every lap; he had to work his way up to the lead a couple of times. So, it isn’t like he is going to get a free pass to Victory Lane.

With how much he won the pole by, I would be concerned if I were another racer in the field. The newly paved track means that no one is super familiar with the way it drives and races. So, SVG doesn’t have the same disadvantage as he had on a track like COTA.

This might be the weekend where the Supercars takeover really takes full effect. Van Gisbergen isn’t the only one from Down Under racing this weekend.

Shane van Gisbergen effect is starting to show

It is a shame that Kaulig and Trackhouse were not able to put Shane van Gisbergen in the Cup Series race this weekend. I know they want to develop him on ovals. I get it, he’s proven himself on the road courses. But, this is the weekend to have him in the Sunday race if any.

Cam Waters is suiting up for RFK Racing. He races in the Supercars series for Ford and has a dozen wins of his own in that series. Will Brown is also racing this weekend for RCR. A few years younger than Waters, Brown has 8 wins in Supercars. He is also the driver who replaced SVG on Triple Eight Motorsports in Australia.

Unfortunately, van Gisbergen will not be in on the Cup Series action. It would have been great to see all three of these former competitors meet back up in NASCAR. It won’t happen, at least not this weekend.

With the huge impact Shane van Gisbergen has made on the sport in such a short time, the Supercars takeover is just now starting. SVG on the pole for Xfinity, we will see how it goes in the race later today.