Behind the Lens: Shane van Gisbergen Dominates NASCAR Cup Series Race at Sonoma [100 photos]

 

all photo credit: Instagram/@aussie.rob

 

What immediately grabs your attention at Sonoma Raceway is the way each corner and crest plays tricks on your sense of balance, creating an experience entirely unlike anything you’d expect from watching a race on TV. Standing trackside for a first NASCAR road course race, watching Shane van Gisbergen rocket past in his pole-sitting car, our photographer affectionally known as “Aussie Rob” suddenly understood why people talk about this place with such reverence. The rolling Northern California terrain creates a natural amphitheater where cars disappear into dips and emerge from blind corners in ways that oval tracks simply can’t match. SVG led 97 of 110 laps from that pole position, turning what could have been a parade into a masterclass in road racing. What struck us most was van Gisbergen’s surgical precision navigating Sonoma’s technical layout.

 

This was his first Cup Series start at this track, yet he moved through the Esses and around Turn 4 like he’d been racing here for decades. The New Zealand driver’s adaptability became the day’s defining narrative. Beyond his individual brilliance, the race itself provided intense competition. The real excitement came during those intense closing stages when Chase Elliott carved through the field on fresher tires, climbing into the top four and mounting a legitimate charge. The aggressive door-to-door battles between Ross Chastain and AJ Allmendinger showcased the kind of hard racing that makes road courses special. With each win, including his most recent on a road course, Van Gisbergen continues to distinguish himself in NASCAR’s history books among drivers from abroad.

 

[This is an excerpt of the original article “NASCAR Sonoma: Witnessing Shane van Gisbergen’s Road Course Brilliance Up Close” that was published on Mankind Unplugged and written by T. Walker.