New Zealander Shane Van Gisbergen is aiming for a NASCAR Cup Series playoff spot after winning Sunday’s road course race in Sonoma, California.
It was his eighth road course victory in 16 starts. Van Gisbergen now turns his focus to the next race on the schedule, an oval at Chicagoland Speedway, as he competes for Concord-based Trackhouse Racing.
“I mean, now I just have to do my best every week and keep improving, don’t do anything stupid — just accumulate points,” Van Gisbergen said. “I can’t get in stupid accidents like Pocono with people. Tenth to 15th is good enough for us, and better if we can. And yeah, try and get stage points — that’s always been something difficult I’ve found on ovals — so qualify well, start up front and hopefully we get better.”
Van Gisbergen is 14th in the Cup Series standings, with 16 drivers making the playoffs.
Despite finishing 26th on Sunday, Denny Hamlin now leads the overall standings by one point over Tyler Reddick. Reddick finished last at Sonoma after an early mechanical issue.
