TRACK – Sonoma Raceway (1.99-mile road course)
NOAPS RACE – Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 (79 laps / 157 miles)
TUNE IN – CW, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90 at 5:30 p.m. (ET))
- Connor Zilisch will make his eighth NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start of the 2026 season Saturday afternoon at Sonoma Raceway.
- Zilisch won the NOAPS race in 2025 at Sonoma, his first victory at the 1.99-mile road course. The victory came in a thrilling duel with Trackhouse Racing teammate Shane van Gisbergen, and he officially scored the victory by .438 seconds. Zilisch won in his first start at Sonoma and led the most laps (46 of 79). The victory at Sonoma was also Roto-Rooter’s first as a team primary sponsor in NASCAR.
- Zilisch has seven wins in 10 previous NOAPS road-course starts, including a victory earlier this season at Watkins Glen International. He has nine top-five finishes and seven pole positions. Zilisch has led 369 of a possible 724 laps in those 10 races (50.96 percent). His average starting position when turning right and left is 6.10.
- Zilisch has won from the pole position five times on road courses in the NOAPS: Watkins Glen (2024, 2025), Circuit of the Americas (2025), Portland International Raceway (2025), and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2025).
- In three NOAPS starts at Sonoma, Justin Allgaier has finished no worse than seventh, with a best finish of sixth coming in the last two events in the Sonoma Valley.
- Overall, his average finish at the California road course is 6.3, which is second only to Portland (6.0) among all tracks he has competed on in the NOAPS.
- In 65 starts in his NOAPS career on road courses, Allgaier has earned a combined three wins, 18 top-fives and 39 top-10s.
- Two of Allgaier’s three NOAPS wins on road courses came with JRM, as the veteran driver went to Victory Lane in 2018 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Road America.
- Sammy Smith heads to Sonoma this weekend with momentum after a top-five finish at Naval Base Coronado. This increases his season top-five finishes to six along with 10 top-10s.
- Of Smith’s three NOAPS races at Sonoma, he qualified in the top-10 on all occasions and finished in the top-10 twice.
- Smith competed in the ARCA Menards Series West at Sonoma in 2023 where he qualified third and brought home a second-place finish.
- The 22-year-old Iowa native has 26 NOAPS road-course starts with seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes.
- Pilot will share the TV panel with Aman Truck Lines (ATL) in Sonoma. ATL began in 2002 and is now one of the preferred trucking companies in Northern California with their state-of-the-art equipment and dedicated staff.
- Shane van Gisbergen will make his third NOAPS series start at Sonoma on Saturday, piloting the No. 9 SuperFile Chevrolet. Van Gisbergen is on a quest for his second NOAPS win at the 1.99-mile road course, after having gone to Victory Lane in 2024.
- Last year at Sonoma, van Gisbergen started on the front row for the 79-lap NOAPS race. He led 24 laps while battling teammate Connor Zilisch. The two teammates put on a competitive showing, but ultimately, van Gisbergen finished second.
- In February, Van Gisbergen captured his fifth NOAPS win at COTA in Austin, Texas, and his second win for JRM. Van Gisbergen started second and led 31 of the 65 laps.
- Van Gisbergen has made five starts with JRM. He has claimed two wins, two pole positions, three top-fives and has led 100 laps.
- Rajah Caruth returns to the No. 88 JRM HendrickCars.com Chevrolet this weekend at Sonoma, making his first career NASCAR O’Reilly Series start at the road course.
- In four career NASCAR O’Reilly Series road course starts, Caruth’s most recent outing resulted in a 12th-place finish at Watkins Glen earlier this season.
- Caruth enters Sonoma just nine points below the NASCAR O’Reilly Series Chase cut line with six races remaining in the regular season.
- Crew chief Mardy Lindley returns to Sonoma after guiding Connor Zilisch to victory at the 1.99-mile road course last season. Lindley and Caruth will look to put the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet back in Victory Lane this weekend.
Connor Zilisch: “I’m really pumped about getting back to Sonoma with JR Motorsports. Shane (Van Gisbergen) and I had a great race for the win last year, and fortunately, we came out on top. I remember how excited everyone from Roto-Rooter was when I first saw them in Victory Lane. That was so cool, and hopefully we can get back there this weekend. It’s always great to race with Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and everyone on the No. 1 team. Getting the extra track time on Friday and Saturday is really valuable to prepare for the Cup race.”
Justin Allgaier: “Sonoma has been a solid track for us since it joined the schedule a few years ago. Andrew (Overstreet, crew chief) and all the guys on this BRANDT Professional Agriculture team are ready to bounce back from last week and I know we will have a car capable of doing that on Saturday. If we can keep all four fenders clean and the car on track, I see no reason why we won’t find ourselves in a great position when the checkered flag falls Saturday night.”
Sammy Smith: “This No. 8 Pilot team has had good qualifying runs and finishes at Sonoma in the past so I’m looking forward to getting there and building on that with the momentum from a good run in San Diego last weekend. Crazy that this is already the last road-course of the season since we had so many last year. That’s even more motivation to get the No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet into Victory Lane.”
Shane Van Gisbergen: “I really like Sonoma. I’ve had good success there. Last year in the O’Reilly race we came up a bit short, but it was one of the best races for everyone to watch. I really enjoyed being in it and racing Connor (Zilisch). It’s really cool to race in O’Reilly and Cup, and I learn a lot about the track throughout the weekend and what I need from the cars. Looking forward to having a good crack at it this weekend. I really appreciate everyone at JR Motorsports. I’ve had a lot of fun driving the 9 car this season. Hoping to get a good result for SuperFile and the No. 9 team this weekend.”
Rajah Caruth: “Sonoma is a place I’ve been looking forward to racing. I’ve never been there before, so it’ll be a new challenge for me, but that’s part of what makes it exciting. It’s a technical track with a lot of elevation change, and you have to be precise every lap. Road courses are all about staying disciplined, managing the braking zones, and putting yourself in position when it matters most. Our No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevy should have good speed, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do this weekend.”
JRM Team Updates:
- JR Motorsports at Sonoma Raceway: Since the NOAPS debuted at Sonoma Raceway in 2023, JR Motorsports has made 13 starts at the 1.99-mile road course. In that span, the organization has earned one win, three top-fives, nine top-10s and an average finish of 13.6.
- Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Carson Kvapil, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, and Rajah Caruth will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / HMS WB + AB souvenir rig on Saturday, June 27 from 11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. PT.