Shane van Gisbergen, fresh off a remarkable debut in NASCAR, has quickly established himself as a formidable force on road and street courses, clinching victory in his inaugural race.
Now, two years later, competitors have scrutinized the New Zealander's distinctive driving style, leading many to label him the frontrunner for the upcoming race at Sonoma Raceway. He will start from the pole position for the second week in a row and the third time in five races.
"It's pretty awesome, we've had a really cool couple of weeks," van Gisbergen remarked, reflecting on the positive atmosphere at Trackhouse Racing. "You feel the energy in the shop when you walk in. It's just a cool atmosphere in the shop, everyone is lifted up."
Currently riding a two-race winning streak on specialty courses, van Gisbergen dominated the road course in Mexico City, finishing 16.6 seconds ahead of the competition from the pole, and followed that with another win on the streets of Chicago last Sunday.
"He's so good; it's rare to see someone stand out like that and distance himself from the competition," Kyle Larson, last year's Sonoma winner, commented. "He's way, way better than us at the road course stuff."
The key to van Gisbergen's success appears to be a toe-heel braking technique that his rivals struggle to replicate.
"If I tried to learn what he's doing, it would take me until I retire," Kyle Busch admitted.
Larson echoed this sentiment: "You can't teach an old dog new tricks. There's zero chance I can learn how to do that."
Having won at Sonoma during his Xfinity Series debut last year and starting from pole in that race, van Gisbergen is set to make his Cup debut on the picturesque track nestled in Northern California's wine country.
Denny Hamlin acknowledged that while van Gisbergen is beatable, it won't be an easy task for any driver aiming to halt his momentum.
"I think you are going to need things to not go his way, and then someone is going to have to really hit it," Hamlin stated. "That, to me, is probably going to be challenging. Cautions could turn things upside down. He is beatable on speed alone, but outright pace? No."
Hamlin also praised van Gisbergen's strategic approach to racing.
"His approach to how he attacks certain corners seems to be where we're more reactive," Hamlin explained. "I'm more reactive to seeing how someone approaches a corner to go fast. He's proactive and knows how to approach it, so he's better and faster before I am. And by the time I start to get closer, he then refines his technique and goes even faster."
In other news, Joey Logano remained tight-lipped about his ongoing feud with Ross Chastain, which escalated last week in Chicago when Chastain spun Logano in retaliation. Logano has since sought NASCAR's intervention regarding Chastain's actions.
NASCAR opted not to penalize Chastain, leaving both drivers silent since their postrace confrontation.
"We haven't talked," Logano said Saturday. "It is what it is."
Logano preferred not to dwell on Chastain's actions. "He made his choices. I'm just going to go race my car," he stated.
Chastain offered his perspective, asserting that "there's three sides to every story." He noted, "I think that a lot of people were all running into each other for the last couple of laps. That's what I saw."
Bubba Wallace took steps to mend his relationship with Alex Bowman upon arriving in California this week. The two drivers had clashed at Chicago for the second consecutive year and have a history of conflicts.
After their latest incident, Bowman expressed surprise that unresolved issues lingered between them. "I thought we had squashed our beef, but clearly we have not," he remarked in Chicago.
To demonstrate goodwill, Wallace approached Bowman at a Napa Valley restaurant and greeted him with a bear hug. He later treated Bowman to dinner.
"I told him I messed up like an idiot," Wallace recounted regarding his driving at Chicago. "I apologized. I was down for a couple days about it. So I bought him a meal. It felt right."
