NASCAR winners and losers from Sonoma as SVG | Sports News

Shane van Gisbergen turned in one other dominant efficiency on a NASCAR highway course at Sonoma, with the Kiwi securing his third win of the 2025 Cup Series season and a second in a row after taking the chequered flag in Chicago earlier this month. The Trackhouse Racing star almost went back-to-back in each Xfinity and Cup races for a second week working, however 18-year-old Connor Zilisch beat him on Saturday in a hard-fought battle.

SVG began Sunday’s Cup race from pole place and dominated proceedings when the inexperienced flag was waved. Ross Chastain received Stage 1, however solely as a result of the 36-year-old pitted. SVG received Stage 2 regardless of pitting after regaining the lead from Kyle Larson earlier than getting into the race’s closing stage at Sonoma.

Several cautions allowed Van Gisbergen’s NASCAR rivals to get close to him, however he nonetheless managed to drag away and take the chequered flag to secure his third win of the 2025 season, his second in a row, and his profession fourth since shifting over from Supercars a couple of years in the past. “We had an amazing car,” Van Gisbergen stated.

“Chase Briscoe, what a great racer and gave me respect. Jumped the last (restart) a little bit, and it was pretty tense, but amazing. So stoked for Red Bull, Trackhouse, Chevy. I believe we had a really fun weekend here, some great races, and I hope everyone enjoyed that.”

“I had an amazing time in Australia, and then to come here and the last couple weeks or years actually has been a dream come true,” SVG added. “I’ve really enjoyed my time in NASCAR. Thanks, everyone, for making me feel so welcome. I hope I’m here for a long time to come.”

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WINNERS

Shane van Gisbergen

Heading into final weekend’s race at Sonoma, SVG was tipped to be the victor of Sunday’s proceedings. He got here good on these predictions, successful from pole place for a second consecutive week. SVG dealt with all challenges and confirmed his race craft on the finish of Stage 2 to regain the lead from Larson after pitting.

The Kiwi has been so spectacular that Larson has tipped SVG to be dominant ought to he work out how to win NASCAR races on ovals. “You know, he’s so good, and it’s rare that you see somebody stand out and distance himself from the competition as much as he is,” stated Larson.

“He’s way, way, way better than us at the road course stuff. And he’s got his own technique, you can call it. Not his own because the rest of the world does it — right-foot braking, clutching and all that stuff.

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“You cannot train an previous canine new methods. Like, there’s zero probability I can study how to do this. And even when I did, like there’s zero probability that I can have or not it’s higher than what I’m in all probability doing with left-foot braking. So yeah, he is simply so good.”

Ty Dillon

The Kaulig Racing star finished 17th in the race, but he still progressed to the semifinals of the inaugural In-Season Challenge by bumping rival Alex Bowman out of the way in the final lap. Dillon is two races away from scooping NASCAR’s $1 million prize.

He is now the lowest-seeded charter left in the competition, and he will go head-to-head with John Hunter Nemechek. Waiting on the other side will be one of Tyler Reddick or Ty Gibbs.

Ty Gibbs

The young driver is yet to win a Cup Series race since moving up to NASCAR’s headline competition as an Xfinity champion. However, Gibbs has turned in five top-ten finishes this season, with his last two coming on the streets of Chicago and at Sonoma. Should the car be competitive, the 22-year-old is making steady progress and is nearing a career-first Cup win.

LOSERS

Kyle Larson

Sonoma was another weekend to forget for Larson. It was an eighth straight Cup race where the one-time champion wasn’t competitive for the win. The Hendrick Motorsports star has struggled since his second failed attempt at “The Double.”

He was in line to win Stage 2 and decide up precious playoff factors, however SVG regained the lead after pitting, showcasing his superiority on NASCAR avenue and highway programs, incomes reward from Larson. Still, if Larson regains his groove forward of the playoffs, he’ll be a vital risk.

Carson Hocevar

Carson Hocevar is at present one of NASCAR’s most controversial drivers. He often will get underneath the pores and skin of his rivals for his aggressive driving fashion, and his confrontation with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. a few weeks back is a clear instance.

Hocevar acquired a style of his own drugs final weekend through Josh Berry, who appeared to spin the driving force on Lap 92 deliberately. The incident led to Hocevar ending thirty second and selecting up simply 5 championship factors.