Full Starting Grid for the 2025 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma

Shane van Gisbergen is making a habit of this. For the second straight weekend, the New Zealand driver topped both qualifying sessions and will start from the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Sonoma Raceway. His lap wasn’t just fast—it was the only one over 96 mph all day. Once again, van Gisbergen placed himself in the best possible position to chase history as he continues to assert control over every road course NASCAR throws his way.

Key Highlights

• Shane van Gisbergen earned the pole for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 with a lap of 74.594 seconds

• It’s his third pole of the season and fourth career Cup Series pole

• Van Gisbergen has won from the pole in Mexico City and Chicago

• If he wins Sunday, he’ll match Jeff Gordon’s record for winning three consecutive road course races from the pole

• Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Ross Chastain, and AJ Allmendinger round out the top five

• Katherine Legge did not make a qualifying attempt and will start 37th

• Ryan Preece and Bubba Wallace enter Sunday separated by just two points in the playoff standings

Shan Van Gisbergen Owns the Stopwatch

Once again, Shane van Gisbergen delivered when it mattered most. In his second lap during the final round of qualifying, the No. 88 Chevrolet clicked off a 74.594-second circuit around the 1.99-mile Sonoma layout. The lap averaged 96.040 mph, the only one to break the 96 mph mark during time trials.

“I thought it could be faster. And then in the first group, we saw big gains from people in their second runs. I think the 24 (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

His lap beat second-place Chase Briscoe by 0.25 seconds. It was SVG’s first pole at Sonoma, and his fourth overall since coming to NASCAR. He previously won poles and races at Mexico City and Chicago, and Sunday marks his Cup debut at Sonoma.

Big Names Fill the Top 10

Behind SVG, several other road course threats are lined up to challenge. Briscoe’s 74.844-second lap put him on the front row, while William Byron qualified third with a lap of 75.025 seconds. Ross Chastain and AJ Allmendinger completed the top five.

Ty Gibbs and Ryan Blaney will roll off sixth and seventh, respectively. Gibbs is part of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge and will face off against Zane Smith, who starts 12th. Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, and Christopher Bell filled out the remainder of the top 10. Kyle Larson will start just outside that group in 11th, giving Hendrick Motorsports three cars inside the top dozen.

“It’s always the hardest trying to save fuel while someone’s breathing down your neck.” – Connor Zilisch (from Saturday’s Xfinity race)

Although unrelated to qualifying, the quote underscored how closely SVG’s weekend has mirrored last week’s run in Chicago, where he swept poles and wins in both series.

Practice Pace Belonged to Allmendinger

AJ Allmendinger didn’t just show up in qualifying—he was also the fastest driver in Saturday’s split-group practice sessions. The Kaulig Racing driver turned a lap at 94.325 mph to lead the field. Ty Gibbs, SVG, Chastain, and Larson followed in the practice speed chart, proving that most of the top qualifiers carried speed all weekend.

Daniel Suárez was the fastest driver from Group 1 practice and will start 19th. Others who encountered trouble in practice included Brad Keselowski and Spire Motorsports’ trio of Michael McDowell, Justin Haley, and Carson Hocevar. All four experienced spins but avoided major damage.

Among the playoff hopefuls, attention will be on Ryan Preece and Bubba Wallace. Preece starts 20th, just ahead of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. Wallace starts 30th, with just two points keeping him inside the playoff cutline entering the day.

Katherine Legge, coming off a 19th-place finish in Chicago, did not make a qualifying attempt and will start 37th.

Toyota/Save Mart 350 Starting Lineup – July 13, 2025 (Sonoma Raceway)

News in Brief: Starting Grid for the 2025 Toyota/Save Mart 350

Shane van Gisbergen continued his road course dominance by taking the pole for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. His lap of 74.594 seconds gave him his fourth career Cup Series pole and third of the 2025 season. Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Ross Chastain, and AJ Allmendinger complete the top five starters. Allmendinger also topped practice. With playoff pressure rising, Ryan Preece and Bubba Wallace remain locked in a close points battle heading into the final seven races of the regular season.

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