Shane van Gisbergen secured a 0.357‑second triumph at Sonoma Raceway, marking the tightest margin of victory among his 14 NASCAR wins.
Narrow Victory at Sonoma
The finish line was only a bumper‑to‑bumper scrap in the final corner, forcing the No. 97 for Trackhouse Racing to rally status for a win that slipped away from the field by the slimmest margin ever recorded for the Kiwi champion.
Crew Chief Insights
Team leader Stephen Doran admitted the car trailed the field during the closing laps. He explained that the vehicle might have suffered from traffic behind Daniel Suarez and Cody Ware, and that the tires warmed more than usual, yet the car “didn’t offer anything else.”
In the post‑race interview, Doran repeated that the car did not sit right with van Gisbergen all weekend. “We had to work overnight to improve it,” he said, adding that the driver “hated the car” throughout the event and that it was “slightly better today, but still not great compared with last year.”
Since the start of 2025, Doran has been van Gisbergen’s crew chief, and together they have claimed seven Cup victories in the last two seasons.
Season Outlook
Detained at 14th place in the standings, van Gisbergen remains 36 points clear of the Chase cut‑line, a buffer that keeps his championship hopes firmly alive as the series progresses.
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