Shane van Gisbergen had a string of rivals after him in Sonoma. The Kiwi speedster started on pole for the Cup Series race, with Chase Briscoe starting second. Briscoe trailed him right until the end of the race, along with other road course stars like Chase Elliott. Yet SVG proved his god-level skills for the second week in a row, finishing 1.128 seconds ahead of the field after leading for 97 laps. However, SVG was missing a crucial rival.
The 12-turn, 1.99-mile circuit of Sonoma Raceway is a venue where Shane van Gisbergen has won before. The earlier victory came last year when he raced full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2024. However, that was before a certain young prodigy debuted in NASCAR’s second tier. And SVG thanked his stars that the rival was not present on Sunday.
Shane van Gisbergen is dewy-eyed as well
Well, you thought that only other people could be dewy-eyed at SVG, right? With an impeccable record of 8 victories across his 17 road course starts, seasoned NASCAR drivers hail him as a road course god. Yet Shane van Gisbergen may have a fair match already. In Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, SVG started on the pole but was hounded multiple times by his JR Motorsports teammate, Connor Zilisch.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 18-year-old phenom was already in the spotlight, clinching 2 wins and 7 top fives. In Sonoma, he was motivated to fetch his next victory, trading the lead with SVG multiple times. With two laps to go, the action ramped up with SVG trying his best to charge into Zilisch’s bumper through the esses. But the youngster never relented and fetched a victory with a 0.438-second margin.
That may have been a reality check for Shane van Gisbergen that he is not the only road course star in NASCAR. After fetching his win in the Cup race, the Trackhouse Racing speedster knew what he had to say to Zilisch. He hilariously shared with the press: “Thanks for not being in the race.” Then he heaped praises for Zilisch, who may upgrade to the Cup Series as his teammate next year. “I know I’m going to have to race him a lot in the future, right? He’s a star of the sport, or gonna be even more so. Yeah, racing him yesterday, he doesn’t look like he’s 18. He’s placing the car in perfect spots and drives amazing, and he’s an awesome young kid. So yeah, if he ends up being my teammate or not next year, I hope he does. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
Well, SVG’s wish could indeed come true, as Trackhouse Racing will have one open Cup Series seat in 2026. After Daniel Suarez recently announced that he would be parting with the team on mutual terms, rumors have swirled about Connor Zilisch taking his seat. Being a Trackhouse developmental driver, it seems the obvious choice. However, nothing is set in stone yet, but it seems like the admiration from SVG to Connor is very mutual.
Connor Zilisch’s Sonoma glory was not without history. Just a week ago in Chicago, Zilisch took note of SVG’s aggressive lunge to snatch the lead from him with two laps to go. Shane Van Gisbergen had placed Zilisch’s car against the wall, giving him no choice but to lift. Hence, the youngster came back at him successfully in Sonoma, as he said: “To get to race against him and learn from him at my age is so valuable for me. So whether I beat him or not doesn’t really affect much. Yeah, it feels good. But I know that I can race against a guy like him, and it’s just fun getting to do it. I really enjoy it, and it pushes me to be better. And I hope I can push him to be to be better too.”
The rivalry between the two is alive and sizzling. What is more appealing is probably the cleanliness of their exchanges.
Sticking to his homely style
Before Shane van Gisbergen arrived in NASCAR, he was a Supercars champion. In the culture of Australian Supercars racing, drivers face penalties for passes made via contact. That is not quite the case in NASCAR, where chaotic incidents receive massive popularity and traffic. SVG tasted the wreck-fest culture in the sport in 2024, when he encountered aggressive contact with Austin Hill at COTA. Nevertheless, the Kiwi refrained from questionable moves against his rival. In Chicago, his No. 9 Chevy ran Connor Zilisch’s No. 88 wide to the wall on the corner exit. However, even Zilisch admitted that it was not a dirty move.
In Sonoma, SVG could have raced Zilisch dirty to get an advantage in the race, in the final hairpin. But Shane Van Gisbergen consciously decided not to. He said, “In this type of racing, it ran through my head into (Turn) 11 on the last lap, like you’re allowed to just run through people and bump them wide. But I’m not going to do that. So I tried to do a crossover and just didn’t have the grip out there. I had a lot of fun, and hope he did too.” Even Zilisch acknowledged the respect. “I think he wanted to pass me fairly. And I don’t think that’s the way he wanted to do it, which I really do respect. I mean, it takes a lot for a guy to do that, and for him to do that shows a lot about the driver and person he is.”
Clearly, we have a spicy rivalry on our hands. With Shane van Gisbergen marveling every week and Connor Zilisch rising rapidly, we can only imagine what the future holds for Trackhouse Racing.
The post “Thanks for Not Being in the Race:” SVG Relieved to Dodge 18-YO Threat at Sonoma Cup Race appeared first on EssentiallySports.