Race 19 of 33: Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 at Sonoma Raceway
Track Specs: 1.99-mile road course /79 laps
Race Winner: Shane Van Gisbergen
Zilisch’s finish: 2nd
Smith’s finish: 11th
Caruth’s finish: 14th
Allgaier’s finish: 26th
Shane Van Gisbergen
Shane Van Gisbergen started on the pole for the 79-lap NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Saturday afternoon in Sonoma, Calif. Van Gisbergen dominated from the start, leading eight laps before a caution waved. Van Gisbergen reported his No. 0 SuperFile Chevrolet was strong and the No. 9 team opted to stay out for track position. On the restart, Van Gisbergen maintained the lead before short-pitting the stage and finishing 24th. In Stage Two, Van Gisbergen started third but quickly regained the lead on the first lap. The No. 9 team stuck to its strategy and short-pitted the second stage, finishing 15th at its conclusion. Van Gisbergen went on to dominate the final stage, leading the last 30 laps and ultimately capturing his second victory in three NOAPS races this season. He led 66 of the 79 laps, setting a personal record for most laps led in the O’Reilly Auto Parts series.
“Pretty amazing day! Right from the start, I could feel the changes on the car were better, kind of was just able to manage the gap from the start. We flipped both stages, trying to keep the track position. Then it was just fuel-save mode and trying to manage. The car was amazing. Pretty cool day for SuperFile, with the MotoGP results and then today’s great result. Thank you to JR Motorsports and Chevrolet. It’s always fun to drive a good car.”
Connor Zilisch
Connor Zilisch overcame an early-race speeding penalty to score a second-place finish in Saturday’s Pit Boss 250 at Sonoma Raceway. Zilisch started the race from the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments but was able to carve his way through traffic prior to his first pit stop. The driver of the Roto-Rooter Chevrolet was 14th when he made a scheduled pit stop on lap 16 for fuel and tires. He was credited with a 33rd-place finish when Stage One ended on lap 20. In Stage Two, Zilisch worked his way into contention for a respectable finish. Crew chief Rodney Childers made the call to keep Zilisch on the track for the entirety of the segment while others on the lead lap chose to pit. Zilisch led the final four laps of the stage and then pitted for fuel, tires and a round of adjustment during the stage caution on lap 47. He lined up in 10th when the race went back to green-flag action on lap 49 and steadily worked his way forward during the final stage. Zilisch climbed up to second place at lap 57 but couldn’t get close to the front over the final laps, crossing the finish line just over a second behind teammate Shane Van Gisbergen.
“It was a good day for JR Motorsports and good to get another road-course win for the team. Overall it was a good day for the Roto-Rooter Chevrolet. We didn’t really think we were going to restart 10th when we stayed out there at the end of Stage Two. The numbers that Rodney was getting on the box allowed us to be aggressive and push that entire last run. A caution to bunch us back up late in the race would have been nice. Our Roto-Rooter Chevrolet was fast enough to compete, but Shane and I were just matching each other the entire run. He was probably saving fuel, managing his stuff and giving me hope.”
Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith, driver of the No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet, ran the last road-course race of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts season on Saturday afternoon at Sonoma Raceway. After qualifying 13th, Smith finished 11th while earning valuable stage points to move him up to seventh in the standings.
Smith qualified 13th for the Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 and settled into 12th after a few laps. Smith reported the car was solid, he just needed track position, to which crew chief Cory Shea agreed as Smith’s lap times were comparable to the leaders. The No. 8 team decided to flip the stage, as did their JR Motorsports teammates, and came to pit road on lap 17. Smith rejoined the field in 28th and took the stage caution flag there three laps later. Once the remainder of the field visited pit road at the stage break, Smith was set to restart seventh in Stage Two on lap 24. Smith made his way up to second in 20 laps as the came to an end while also racking up stage points. Smith reported his No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet had good balance and that he was going to have to manage his tires after they started to wear. Before the start of the final stage, Shea called Smith down pit road for tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. A mishap on the left front tire saw the No. 8 take an extended stop, putting Smith 30th for the start of the final stage.
Smith took the green flag from 20th on lap 49 and wasted no time making his way up through the field. By lap 69, Smith was 12th but kept coming, making a last-lap pass for 11th. The No. 8 Pilot team rallied strong after the stop and ended up having a great points day. Smith now sits seventh in the series standings.
“We had a solid car today so it wasn’t the finish we wanted, but this No. 8 team fought back after some adversity and we had a good points day so we just have to look at the bigger picture. I appreciate the support from Pilot, TMC and Allstate Peterbilt and all the hard work from everyone on this team and from our pit crew.”
Rajah Caruth:
Rajah Caruth and the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet team overcame a challenging qualifying effort to earn a 14th-place finish on Saturday afternoon at Sonoma Raceway. After taking the green flag from 21st, Caruth steadily worked his way forward through the opening stage despite battling a lack of lateral grip, climbing to 11th by the end of Stage One.
Crew chief Mardy Lindley and the No. 88 team made the call for four tires and fuel during the stage break, and Caruth continued his march through the field in Stage Two. Running inside the top 20 for much of the segment, the team elected to stay on track at the end of the stage to collect valuable points, resulting in a seventh-place stage finish before pitting for fresh tires and fuel.
Restarting 16th for the final stage, Caruth remained in the thick of the battle while managing tire wear over the closing laps. The HendrickCars.com Chevrolet maintained solid pace throughout the final run and Caruth held position to cross the finish line in 14th position, capping a steady afternoon at the California road course.
“We kept making our HendrickCars.com Chevrolet better throughout the race, and I thought the No. 88 team did a really good job with strategy to put us in position for stage points. We fought a lack of lateral grip early, and then I just used my tires up a little too much on the longer runs. Overall, it was a solid day, and we’ll keep building on it heading into next week.”
Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, battled adversity throughout Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event at Sonoma Raceway. Allgaier, who started in the eighth position, held strong inside the top 10 during the early laps of the first stage. After varying pit strategies, Allgaier found himself outside the top 25. After contact and spinning out during the second stage, Allgaier gave it a valiant effort to recover, but when the final checkered flag waved, the JR Motorsports driver was scored in the 26th position. Despite the result, Allgaier still holds a commanding lead in the championship standings, 207 markers above the field.
“It’s really unfortunate that we didn’t get the finish this BRANDT Professional Agriculture team deserved today. We just had a lot of unfortunate circumstances that set us back all afternoon. I know Andrew (Overstreet, crew chief) and the entire No. 7 team will work hard this week and will be ready to go next weekend in Chicago. It will be good getting back to Chicagoland Speedway and racing close to home.”