Shane van Gisbergen added another highlight to his growing NASCAR resume by claiming the pole position for Saturday’s Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 at Sonoma Raceway. The New Zealand road course ace posted a blistering 75.259-second lap during Friday’s qualifying session, securing back-to-back poles in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and putting his No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet at the front of the grid once again.
Key Highlights
Shane van Gisbergen earned the pole at Sonoma with a lap of 75.259 seconds
JR Motorsports swept the front row with SVG and Connor Zilisch
The top five included Sam Mayer, Jesse Love, and William Sawalich
Thirty-nine cars attempted to qualify; Austin J. Hill was the only DNQ
The Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 airs Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on The CW
SVG Leads the Way Again at a Familiar Venue
Shane van Gisbergen continues to set the pace when the Xfinity Series heads to road courses. After dominating at Portland and now claiming the top spot in Sonoma, the defending winner looks locked in ahead of Saturday’s 79-lap contest. His pole lap of 75.259 seconds around the 1.99-mile circuit was 0.244 seconds quicker than his JR Motorsports teammate Connor Zilisch, who secured a career-best second-place starting position.
Zilisch, a three-time Xfinity winner and standout road racer in his own right, made the most of his opportunity in the No. 88 entry, helping JRM lock down both front-row spots. The pairing continues a strong trend for the Chevrolet organization, particularly at tracks where braking, shifting, and technical precision come into play.
Sam Mayer, another JR Motorsports driver, qualified third and will roll off behind his teammates. Jesse Love, in the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, and rookie standout William Sawalich completed the top five. Sawalich was the quickest in the first round of qualifying and made a strong case in just his latest road course appearance.
Official Starting Lineup for the Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250
Here is the complete starting order for Saturday’s race at Sonoma:
| Pos | Car | Driver |
| 1 | 9 | Shane van Gisbergen (i) |
| 2 | 88 | Connor Zilisch # |
| 3 | 41 | Sam Mayer |
| 4 | 2 | Jesse Love |
| 5 | 18 | William Sawalich # |
| 6 | 8 | Sammy Smith |
| 7 | 1 | Carson Kvapil # |
| 8 | 20 | Brandon Jones |
| 9 | 0 | Sheldon Creed |
| 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier |
| 11 | 54 | Taylor Gray # |
| 12 | 31 | Blaine Perkins |
| 13 | 42 | Anthony Alfredo |
| 14 | 17 | Corey Day |
| 15 | 19 | Riley Herbst (i) |
| 16 | 21 | Austin Hill |
| 17 | 27 | Jeb Burton |
| 18 | 11 | Josh Williams |
| 19 | 25 | Harrison Burton |
| 20 | 7 | Alex Labbe |
| 21 | 16 | Christian Eckes # |
| 22 | 14 | Connor Mosack (i) |
| 23 | 48 | Nick Sanchez # |
| 24 | 99 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 25 | 91 | Josh Bilicki |
| 26 | 53 | Sage Karam |
| 27 | 71 | Ryan Ellis |
| 28 | 5 | Kris Wright |
| 29 | 39 | Ryan Sieg |
| 30 | 51 | Jeremy Clements |
| 31 | 10 | Daniel Dye # |
| 32 | 44 | Brennan Poole |
| 33 | 32 | Austin Green |
| 34 | 4 | Parker Retzlaff |
| 35 | 26 | Dean Thompson # |
| 36 | 70 | Will Rodgers |
| 37 | 28 | Kyle Sieg |
| 38 | 45 | Brad Perez |
| DNQ | 35 | Austin J. Hill |
One Misses the Cut as 39 Attempt to Qualify
With only 38 spots available and 39 entries trying to make the field, one driver was bound to miss the show. That unfortunate result fell to Austin J. Hill, who failed to qualify after posting the slowest time of the session. Hill was attempting to compete in the No. 35 Joey Gase Motorsports entry, but his 78.672-second lap wasn’t enough to get him into the race.
Meanwhile, fan-favorite entries like Riley Herbst, Sheldon Creed, and Justin Allgaier will all take the green flag on Saturday, along with a strong mix of rising talent and road course specialists. William Sawalich, who showed pace in Group A, will be one to watch early in the event.
News in Brief: 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Lineup at Sonoma
Shane van Gisbergen continues to dominate NASCAR road courses, securing his second straight Xfinity Series pole position and the top starting spot for the Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 at Sonoma Raceway. JR Motorsports locked out the front row with SVG and Connor Zilisch, while Sam Mayer made it three JRM cars in the top three. William Sawalich, Jesse Love, and Sammy Smith round out a competitive top six. Austin J. Hill was the lone driver to fail to qualify as 39 cars fought for 38 spots. The race airs Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on The CW.
ALSO READ: 2025 Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 Preview: Top Contenders and Race Dynamics
