Shane van Gisbergen was reportedly operating at solely about 80 p.c for a lot of the remaining run throughout Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Components Collection race at Sonoma, but he nonetheless drove away from the sphere and beat his JR Motorsports teammate, Connor Zilisch, to the checkered flag by 1.324 seconds.
SVG was pressured to avoid wasting gas over the race’s remaining run after short-pitting previous to the tip of Stage 2, however it hardly mattered. The highway course ace from Auckland, New Zealand, dominated Saturday’s race en path to his sixth profession NOAPS win and his second of 2026.
The highest two had been a mirror picture of the 2025 NOAPS race at Sonoma, through which Zilisch edged van Gisbergen for the victory. Van Gisbergen led 66 of the race’s 79 laps and begins sixth in Sunday’s Cup race, the place he is searching for a second straight Sonoma win.
“Fortunately, I believe I saved sufficient [gas] early,” van Gisbergen informed CW Sports activities. “Sorry, it wasn’t probably the most thrilling. I assume boring is nice once you’re the one main. What an incredible automobile to guide like that. Stoked to get one other one for these guys.”
Zilisch, Brent Crews, Anthony Alfredo and Parker Retzlaff rounded out the highest 5, with Carson Kvapil, Corey Day, defending collection champion Jesse Love, Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed finishing the highest 10.
Taylor Grey was operating inside the highest 5 however ran out of fuel on the ultimate lap and completed twenty ninth as the primary automobile one lap down. Grey obtained a push — albeit an unlawful one which invalidated his remaining lap — from his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate in Brandon Jones to get to the road and full the race.
Zilisch stormed again after having to start out on the rear within the subject as a result of a flat tire in qualifying. He made up substantial floor within the first stage earlier than a dashing penalty on pit highway pressured him to do a drive-through penalty with three laps remaining in Stage 1.
Zilisch efficiently clawed his means again by the pack within the second stage.
Alfredo and Zilisch received Phases 1 and a pair of, respectively.
Van Gisbergen’s victory is Chevrolet’s 18th consecutive in highway course races within the O’Reilly Auto Components Collection and the twelfth within the final 13 highway races for JRM.
Notable outcomes
Different notable finishers embody Sheldon Creed in eleventh, Austin Inexperienced in twelfth, William Sawalich in thirteenth, Austin Hill in twenty second and factors chief Justin Allgaier in twenty sixth.
Brad Perez completed final (thirty eighth) after points pre-race prevented him from taking the inexperienced flag, whereas Ross Chastain completed thirty seventh after mechanical points took him out after solely 29 laps.
Jones completed 11 laps down in thirty sixth after mechanical points, whereas Leland Honeyman Jr. completed thirty fifth after obvious engine points within the closing laps.
