By AMANDA VINCENT
NASCAR Cup Series regular Shane van Gisbergen dominated the Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway on Saturday on his way to his second win in three NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races this season. Saturday’s win was the 12th win for JR Motorsports in the last 13 road-course races. It was van Gisbergen’s second win at Sonoma.
“Luckily, I think I saved enough (gas) early,” van Gisbergen said. “Sorry, it wasn’t the most exciting. I guess boring is good when you’re the one leading. What an amazing car to lead like that. Stoked to get another one for these guys.”
Van Gisbergen led a race-high 66 laps of the 79-lap race.
JRM notched a one-two finish with Cup regular Connor Zilisch taking runner-up honors after a pit-road speeding penalty early in the race.
Brent Crews finished third, and Viking Motorsports drivers Anthony Alfredo and Parker Retzlaff rounded out the top-five.
Alfredo stayed in front of Crews late in the opening stage to claim his first-career stage win at lap 20. It also was Viking Motorsports’ first stage win. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Crews and Taylor Gray were second and third at stage-end.
The frontrunners stayed out late in the stage to inherit their running positions up front. Van Gisbergen started on the pole and led most of stage one before pitting under green on lap 18.
The opening stage included a debris caution when a tire carcass came off Kyle Sieg’s car on lap eight.
JR Motorsports went one-two in stage two with Zilisch taking the stage win at lap 45 and teammate Sammy Smith in second.
Van Gisbergen, again, dominated stage two but gave up the lead to pit late in the stage. He was third for the restart after stage one. Harrison Burton and Blaine Perkins restarted for stage two in the top-two positions after pitting during the first caution of the race. Van Gisbergen retook the lead on a lap-25 restart.
Stage two included a lap-30 caution for fluid from Cup Series regular Ross Chastain’s car.
Van Gisbergen was back up front to restart for the final stage after the round of pit stops completed under the caution that followed stage two.
Carson Kvapil finished the race in the sixth position. Corey Day finished seventh, Sam Mayer eighth, Jesse Love ninth and Sheldon Creed 10th.
