NASCAR News: Van Gisbergen wins Sonoma Cup pole

Fresh off a weekend sweep, Team Chevy’s Shane van Gisbergen (pictured) 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 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet to the top of the qualifying speed charts on his final run by posting a best-lap of 1:14.594 – the only driver to hit speeds at 96 mph around the 1.99-mile California circuit.

Van Gisbergen beat second-place qualifier Chase Briscoe (95.719 mph) by 0.25 seconds to claim his first Busch Light Pole Award at Sonoma, his third of the season and the fourth of his career.

Also claiming the pole position for today’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Northern California circuit, 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.

“I thought it could be faster,” said van Gisbergen, who won last season’s Xfinity race at Sonoma but will be making his first start here in a Cup car. “And then in the first group, we saw big gains from people in their second runs. I think the 24 (third-place qualifier William Byron) made a huge jump, which is pretty abnormal, I think, on these tires, especially this new soft tire.

“My first lap was just a banker almost. The second lap was really good.”

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet – Pole Winner Quotes

How did the car respond during practice qualifying? How did this track feel for you in the Cup car as opposed to the Xfinity car?

“Yeah, they’re quite different in the way the cars make their speed and the platform of the car. But yeah, it felt really slippery. I sort of saw that in group one. A lot of people were having big lap time fall off and struggling with the rear, in particular. So yeah, I tried to manage my practice. I started slow and tried to keep it at consistent speed. My car was very, very average actually, so we can make it better for tomorrow. But then in qualifying on the new tires, it was great.”

We’ve heard a lot this week about just how slick this track is this weekend. How different is it this time around than it was last year?

“It felt pretty similar yesterday in the Xfinity car. I thought it was just hotter, but then seeing the times today, how much slower it was than last year and how much fall off there was, I guess it is — the track’s aged a little bit. I don’t really have a reference from last year, but certainly everyone was flat on their lap times and today we were all dropping off, so that should be good for the racing tomorrow.”

Why did you run the second lap?

“Well, I thought it could be faster. And then in the first group, we saw big gains on people on their second run. I think the 24 made a huge jump, which is pretty abnormal, I think, on these tires, especially this new soft tire. So yeah, just tried again. I struggled… my first lap was just a banker almost, like I still had a little bit left. That second lap was really good.”

Shane, obviously you’ve had hot streaks before in your career, but how good does it feel to have one in NASCAR?

“Yeah, it’s pretty awesome. We’ve had a really cool couple of weeks. 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.”

Did you even run a qualifying lap in practice? You were third on the speed chart…

“No, I don’t think anyone really did. We all just did long runs. People probably could have pushed more in practice, but we were trying to see what the tire would do.”

When I posted your post-qualifying interview from yesterday, I got a lot of response from fans in New Zealand. There was a big spike, and they were all celebrating your pole. What is it like having almost the whole nation to kind of rally up with you, and what would you say to all your fans back home?

“Yeah, I think it’s awesome — the support we’ve got, and you see it in INDYCAR with the Scott’s. They both get so much support from our home, and it’s amazing how much people stick behind the Kiwi drivers when they’re overseas. So yeah, it’s pretty special when I have a good weekend, or even a bad one. The messages I get and how many people tune in from home to watch the race — it’s probably like first thing in the morning there, or 4 a.m. there at the moment, so it’s amazing that people get up and watch us race. It’s pretty cool.”

Sonoma NASCAR Cup qualifying Results