Shane van Gisbergen, 13 races into his inaugural Xfinity Series season, has proven to be the fastest at another road course on the NASCAR schedule.
The New Zealand native was the fastest driver during Xfinity Series practice after completing 15 laps in the 50-minute session. Van Gisbergen posted a best lap of 75.290 seconds and 95.152 mph. He was .309 seconds faster than Parker Kligerman in second.
Cup Series regular Ty Gibbs (75.606 seconds), Justin Allgaier (75.792 seconds), and Jesse Love (75.915 seconds) rounded out the fast five. Gibbs ran 20 laps, the most among the five drivers with the fastest lap times.
MORE: Xfinity Sonoma practice results
The 50 minute session has finished up, @shanevg97 continues his momentum from Portland... he's fastest!
The 16 and the 11 did not do a mock qualifying run, as many did. The 16 was P4 before the mock qualifying runs began. #ZipBuyNowPayLater250 pic.twitter.com/Zz5fsy5WSp
— Kaulig Racing (@KauligRacing) June 7, 2024
Van Gisbergen won the most recent race on the Xfinity schedule. He overcame multiple mistakes at Portland International Raceway and took the lead from Justin Allgaier with four laps remaining in the race.
Van Gisbergen won his first career Xfinity race and locked up a spot in the playoffs. He also met some of the expectations placed on him ahead of his first full season in NASCAR.
"Once I calmed down, I got better and better and got back to the front," van Gisbergen told media members before heading to Sonoma. "Just a lot of learning. And interesting this weekend, second road course in a row. And pressure's off so yeah, should be able to relax a little more and drive a bit more freely."
Being the fastest in Xfinity practice was significant for van Gisbergen and Kaulig Racing as the organization tries to make improvements to its program. The next step will be qualifying. Can SVG or teammate AJ Allmendinger win the pole during Saturday's session?
Allmendinger, who was seventh-fastest in Friday's practice session, qualified second for last season's Xfinity race at Sonoma. He finished second after a late battle with Kyle Larson and race-winner Aric Almirola.
Qualifying for this season's Xfinity race at Sonoma will take place Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS2. The Xfinity race will take place Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.