By Cameron Bebeau, Staff Writer
Shane van Gisbergen didn’t let Sonoma Raceway get away from him twice.
After starting from the pole and finishing second in last year’s Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250, van Gisbergen returned Saturday to finish the job, leading 66 of the 79 laps to win the 2026 Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250.
Van Gisbergen controlled most of the afternoon at the 1.99-mile road course, holding off Connor Zilisch by 1.324 seconds to earn his sixth career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory.
The win marked van Gisbergen’s second O’Reilly Series victory of the season and his second win in three starts at Sonoma.
The box score reflected his control. Van Gisbergen posted a race-best 149.5 driver rating, led the field with a 2.77 average running position and ranked first in green-flag speed. He also ran the fastest lap 30 times, more than twice as many as any other driver.
Van Gisbergen led the opening 17 laps from the pole before Anthony Alfredo took the lead on Lap 18. Alfredo remained out front through the end of Stage 1, holding off Brent Crews to score both his first career stage win, and Viking Motorsports’ first stage win.
Alfredo’s stage victory was one of the strongest moments of a very strong afternoon for Viking Motorsports. He led five laps, ranked fourth in driver rating and average running position, and fifth in green-flag speed before finishing fourth.
Zilisch’s afternoon began with another dose of adversity. Tire issues in qualifying left the Cup Series rookie starting 30th, and his race took another turn when he was penalized for speeding on pit road with four laps remaining in Stage 1.
Despite the setback, Zilisch quickly worked his way back through the field and became one of van Gisbergen’s primary challengers. He climbed back into the top five during the second stage, led four laps and won Stage 2. He finished second overall while ranking second in green-flag speed, first in late-run speed and third in driver
The middle portion of the race was increasingly eventful after Stage 1. Justin Allgaier spun after the Lap 25 restart and made slight contact with Sheldon Creed. A few laps later, Blaine Perkins spun in the chicane, while Harrison Burton also went around in Turn 1.
Ross Chastain’s race ended shortly after that sequence. Chastain, who finished seventh in Stage 1, slowed with an issue and exited the race after 29 laps because of a rear-end problem. Chastain found a route off the racing surface and drove down the drag strip adjacent to the track, but NASCAR eventually displayed the caution for possible fluid on the track.
Zilisch won Stage 2, followed by Sammy Smith, Creed, Crews and Carson Kvapil.
Van Gisbergen cycled back to the lead after the Stage 2 break and never gave it up. He led the final 32 laps, keeping Zilisch behind him through the closing run to secure the victory.
Crews finished third, earning the best result among all rookie drivers and all points-eligible drivers alike. His podium run was one of the most complete performances of the field. He ranked second in driver rating, third in average position, led the race with 25 quality passes and spent all but one lap inside the top 15.
Finishing out the top five were Viking Motorsports teammates Alfredo and Parker Retzlaff. Kvapil finished sixth in the No. 91 Chevrolet, followed by Corey Day, Sam Mayer, Jesse Love and Sheldon Creed.
Allgaier spun again in with less than 20 laps remaining in Turn 2, relegating him to a 26th-place finish. Despite this, he left Sonoma with a sizable points lead over Love, who finished ninth.
Taylor Gray’s final result of 29th wasn’t indicative of his afternoon. Gray started third, finished third in Stage 1 and ranked inside the top five among several metrics. However, he ran out of fuel coming to the final corner and fell from his top-five run.
Brandon Jones helped push his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate across the finish line, but the broadcast booth noted that NASCAR would not count the lap.
The race featured four cautions for 11 laps and eight lead changes among six drivers.
Even with the movement behind him, the afternoon belonged to van Gisbergen and JR Motorsports. One year after coming up one spot short at Sonoma, he returned and finished the job.
Photo by David Graham, Harold Hinson Photography