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Shane van Gisbergen wins Sonoma pole, full Xfinity Series qualifying results

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 8:37 PM ET

A week after Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen went head-to-head in Chicago, the two are going at it again in Sonoma. The NASCAR teammates are at the top of the field once again, with SVG taking the pole award today in the Xfinity Series session.

Zilisch is trailing his JRM and Trackhouse teammate by just over two-tenths of a second. Taylor Gray blew his engine during qualifying, but will have a top-10 result in the session. Gray will have to drop to the rear of the field at the start of tomorrow’s race.

JR Motorsports had all four cars qualify in the top eight today. All eyes will be on SVG and Zilisch as we go road course racing once again.

For the second week in a row, Shane van Gisbergen has won the Xfinity Series pole. He will now attempt to sweep the Xfinity weekend by winning the race tomorrow. Could he end up with another sweep of the Xfinity/Cup doubleheader weekend?

As SVG continues to get more comfortable in these NASCAR race cars, he’s only getting more dangerous. His talent is elite, and it will take someone like Connor Zilisch to take him down this weekend. Or a late restart with the right person on the front two rows. Which could also end up being Zilisch after he got roughed up by the Kiwi last week.

Riley Herbst is the only other Cup Series driver in the field. He is racing the No. 19 car for Joe Gibbs Racing. Full qualifying results below:

SVG on pole for the second week in a row. Will battle Zilisch in Sonoma. Full qualifying results/starting lineup for the Xfinity Series: pic.twitter.com/ZLbTPHgJT6
— Jonathan Howard (@Jondean25) July 11, 2025

Shane van Gisbergen looking for double sweep

Unless he has an issue with his car, Shane van Gisbergen will almost surely be the favorite to win the Cup Series pole on Saturday. He is the overwhelming favorite for both the Xfinity and Cup Series races coming into the weekend.

Sonoma Raceway is a track that the field is familiar with, for the most part. Still, it feels like SVG might be on another level here, just as he was at Chicago. In the Cup race, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, and Tyler Reddick will all be chasing SVG. Chris Buescher is solid at this track. But whoever challenges the Kiwi will have to have a perfect race to take him down.

Should Shane van Gisbergen win the Cup race, he will be tied for the most wins on the season with Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin. There is a chance that he could have four wins before the playoffs begin if that ends up being the case.

Will SVG whip the field in both races? Or is there someone out there who has what it takes to knock him down a notch?

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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