Shane van Gisbergen continued his road course dominance in the NASCAR Cup Series, scoring his third win of the 2025 season by capturing the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. Starting from the pole and leading 97 of 110 laps, SVG proved once again that he’s the man to beat when it comes to left-and-right turns. But as fans celebrated another stellar performance from the New Zealander, they also had plenty to say—about everything from Cody Ware’s wild moment to Kyle Larson’s struggles. From cheers to complaints to memes, the NASCAR community was buzzing.
Key Highlights
Shane van Gisbergen led 97 of 110 laps to win the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott rounded out the top three.
Van Gisbergen’s win was his third of 2025—all coming on road courses.
Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney suffered disappointing finishes.
Fans responded with humor, praise, and a bit of frustration.
A Dominant Drive by Shan Van Gisbergen
Shan Van Gisbergen’s performance on Sunday left little doubt about who owns the road courses in today’s NASCAR. After starting on the pole, the 88 car maintained control for most of the event, briefly giving up the lead during pit sequences but reclaiming it when it mattered. He crossed the line 1.128 seconds ahead of Chase Briscoe to claim his third win of the season—all on road courses—and his second straight sweep from the pole after Chicago.
The 2025 campaign has now seen van Gisbergen join Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell as the only drivers with three victories. But unlike the others, SVG’s wins have all come on highly technical layouts, showing just how well he’s adapted from international circuits to NASCAR’s elite level.
NASCAR Fans React: Praise, Frustration, and Fireworks
As expected, SVG’s win set off a wave of reactions across social media—ranging from admiration to sarcasm. Some fans were quick to tip their hats to longtime van Gisbergen supporters:
“Congratulations to all the SVG faithful fans, especially the ones that were praising his talents long before I ever heard of him or saw him run his 1st cup race.”
“Are there people who genuinely not like SVG? I completely understand people being tired and unhappy at his dominance on road courses, but he seems like genuinely good guy.”
Another fan added to the humor surrounding Cody Ware’s late-race incident:
“Cody Ware’s right rear tire just rolled past my house in Calabasas.”
Ty Dillon sub plot has been the best part of the past few weeks tbh.
Beyond the jokes, some pointed to SVG’s growth within the sport:
“He’s probably not winning an oval any time soon but he has shown tremendous improvement.”
“Ya but it’s all on road courses so it’s not impressive at all because real nascar racing happens on ovals and this is just a gimmickS.”
Others focused on what this means for the sport’s future:
“Zilisch and SVG on road courses is going to be legendary for years to come.”
Meanwhile, Kyle Larson’s fans weren’t shy about expressing their discontent after another rough showing, finishing 35th:
“Another week of shit luck and mediocre speed for the 5 team. This summer has NOT been fun as a Larson fan lmao.”
Still, some suggested that the Hendrick Motorsports camp might be using this stretch to test setups ahead of the playoffs:
“With Kyle’s spot secure in this clown show they call the playoffs, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cliff is just using this time to experiment with different setups/strategies and they’ll come roaring back come September.”
SVG’s Road Course Reign Continues
With this win, SVG now has victories at Chicago, Mexico City, and Sonoma—all within a stretch of five races. His precision on technical circuits has made him not just a fan favorite but a legitimate championship contender.
This win also bumps him into the third seed in the current playoff grid. Though still adapting to ovals, SVG’s strength on road courses alone makes him a serious threat—especially with the Roval and Watkins Glen still to come before the postseason.
As SVG continues to prove himself on the biggest stages, fans are beginning to ask whether he could be a generational road course talent in a NASCAR landscape long dominated by oval specialists.
Full Race Results: Toyota / Save Mart 350
| Pos | No. | Driver | Laps | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 | Shane van Gisbergen | 110 | — |
| 2 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | 110 | +1.128 |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | 110 | +2.254 |
| 4 | 71 | Michael McDowell | 110 | +3.451 |
| 5 | 20 | Christopher Bell | 110 | +5.108 |
| 6 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 110 | +5.484 |
| 7 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | 110 | +5.554 |
| 8 | 24 | William Byron | 110 | +5.913 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | 110 | +6.513 |
| 10 | 8 | Kyle Busch | 110 | +6.890 |
| 11 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | 110 | +7.699 |
| 12 | 60 | Ryan Preece | 110 | +9.523 |
| 13 | 21 | Josh Berry | 110 | +11.220 |
| 14 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | 110 | +11.230 |
| 15 | 7 | Justin Haley | 110 | +11.437 |
| 16 | 17 | Chris Buescher | 110 | +11.487 |
| 17 | 10 | Ty Dillon | 110 | +11.988 |
| 18 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | 110 | +12.289 |
| 19 | 48 | Alex Bowman | 110 | +12.339 |
| 20 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | 110 | +12.516 |
| 21 | 3 | Austin Dillon | 110 | +12.821 |
| 22 | 41 | Cole Custer | 110 | +13.372 |
| 23 | 34 | Todd Gilliland | 110 | +13.372 |
| 24 | 1 | Ross Chastain | 110 | +13.659 |
| 25 | 35 | Riley Herbst | 110 | +13.998 |
| 26 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 110 | +14.776 |
| 27 | 38 | Zane Smith | 110 | +15.163 |
| 28 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | 110 | +15.521 |
| 29 | 43 | Erik Jones | 110 | +17.300 |
| 30 | 2 | Austin Cindric | 110 | +17.612 |
| 31 | 78 | Katherine Legge | 110 | +25.770 |
| 32 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | 110 | +27.221 |
| 33 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 110 | +42.066 |
| 34 | 51 | Cody Ware | 108 | -2 laps |
| 35 | 5 | Kyle Larson | 108 | -2 laps |
| 36 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | 106 | OUT |
| 37 | 4 | Noah Gragson | 99 | OUT |
SVG’s closest challengers—Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott—gave strong performances but couldn’t match the 88’s pace in clean air. Notably, Christopher Bell, Michael McDowell, and Tyler Reddick also finished inside the top 6.
News in Brief: NASCAR Fans Let Loose After Sonoma Race
Shane van Gisbergen captured his third win of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season by dominating the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, leading 97 of 110 laps from the pole. The victory marks his third straight road course win and elevates him to third in the playoff standings. Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott rounded out the podium. Fans reacted with praise for SVG’s performance and humor about Cody Ware’s incident, while others voiced frustration over Kyle Larson’s continued struggles. The Cup Series now heads to Dover Motor Speedway on July 20 for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400.
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