Back-to-back wins for SVG in Sonoma

Shane van Gisbergen has gone back-to-back in the Xfinity Series with a dominant win at Sonoma, which added to his first career victory the week before in Portland. The win was set up with a brilliant restart 12 laps from home and a brave move that stranded Austin Hill on the outside.

It was a classic opportunistic move by the series rookie many have seen in his 15-year career in Supercars.

Starting from the pole, the Kiwi dominated the first stage of the race to take a valuable playoff point while battling Ty Gibbs, whose only goal was the race win. He fought his way from eighth on the restart to second by the end of Stage 2.

He then started the race’s final stage in fourth, but he soon moved into second behind Austin Hill. Gibbs was bumped out of the race after dropping spots in the pits.

Van Gisbergen patiently hunted Hill, but once he had the lead, he gapped Sam Mayer who inherited second and cruised to the flag despite alternator problems.

To rub salt into the Hill’s wounds, van Gisbergen put on another drifting display around the outside of his COTA nemesis.

Van Gisbergan said after the race that his “Weather Tech Camaro got beaten up again,” but added that his dream was still to start winning on ovals.

A disappointed Hill commented after hearing from van Gisbergan that the race defining incident was just two guys racing hard, that he would leave the response to the keyboard warriors.

Van Gisbergen is now firmly entrenched in the Xfinity Series playoffs with two wins, equal to the best this season with Hill and Chandler Smith.