The #88 Trackhouse Racing driver dominated the 110-lapper, finishing second in Stage 1, winning Stage 2, and surviving a wild end to Stage 3. In total, van Gisberen led 97 laps from pole position.

It’s his first win in Red Bull colours in the Cup Series.

With victory, van Gisbergen equalled Tony Stewart (1999) and Jimmie Johnson (2002) for the most wins in a rookie NASCAR Cup Series season.

It’s also the fastest driver to reach four Cup Series wins since Parnelli Jones in 1967.

It’s van Gisbergen’s third straight non-oval win after triumphs at Mexico City and Chicago.

“That was pretty tough stuff. We had an amazing car,” said van Gisbergen.

“Chase Briscoe, what a great racer. He gave me respect and jumped the last one a little bit, but it was pretty intense. Amazing. So stoked for Red Bull, Trackhouse, Chevy. Unbelievable.

“I had a really fun weekend here, some great races, and I hope everyone enjoyed that.”

With victory, van Gisbergen becomes the third seed in the Playoffs.

“It’s hard to believe that, isn’t it? I just have to thank these guys. We’ve built up all year, got better and better. Now we need to keep getting better on the ovals and start proving some people wrong.”

SVG. King of the road. pic.twitter.com/KGOb2xBN4j

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) July 13, 2025

Van Gisbergen dominated Stage 1 but elected to pit with three laps to go in the stage with a six-second lead over William Byron.

All the contenders but Ross Chastain pitted. The #1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro took the Stage 1 win while van Gisbergen was second and 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace third in the #23 Camry.

The same was true of Stage 2. Van Gisbergen dominated proceedings and pitted with three laps to go in the stage with a more than three-second lead over Chase Briscoe.

Despite pitting short of the stage finish, van Gisbergen passed off-strategy Kyle Larson in the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro to retake the lead.

The race resumed on Lap 60. It was a short-lived green flag run when Ryan Blaney in the #12 Team Penske Ford Mustang spun up the hill and got beached.

The race resumed on Lap 66 and van Gisbergen skipped away from the field. In clear air, he made a rare mistake on Lap 79, locking up and running long at Turn 4.

With 27 laps to go in the stage, van Gisbergen pitted to cover Briscoe who came in earlier.

To that point, van Gisbergen’s lead was stable at four seconds. However, that vanished with 15 laps to go when Cody Ware in the #51 Rick Ware Racing Mustang lost its right rear wheel.

An issue during the pit stop meant the lug nut was not secure and just seconds after leaving pit lane the wheel parted company.

What followed was a game of cat and mouse between the front-runners deciding whether to pit.

Van Gisbergen elected to stay out and capitalise on track position. Briscoe followed suit, but third place driver Chase Elliott in the #9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro pitted.

Elliot plummeted from third to 17th and on the restart with 11 laps to go made four places before the caution came out again.

There was carnage in Turn 7 when Noah Gragson in the #4 Front Row Motorsports Mustang got spun by the #7 Spire Motorsports Camaro of Justin Haley.

Just ahead of them, John Hunter Nemechek in the #42 Legacy Motor Club Camry was another victim of the restart melee, thanks to a hit from the #21 Wood Brothers Racing Mustang of Josh Berry.

The race resumed with seven laps to go but it was another short-lived green flag run after Hyam Motorsports’ Ricky Stenhouse in the #47 Camaro spun into the tyre barrier.

The caution was drawn immediately for repairs to the barrier, which tore the belt loose. A quick clean-up allowed the race to go green with four laps to go.

He survived the final restart, leaving Briscoe behind in his wake. Elliott only got to third but a mistake meant he wound up battling over the place with Christopher Bell.

VIDEO: NASCAR Cup Series Sonoma extended highlights

Speaking post-race, van Gisbergen offered a philosophical view on his success.

“It means everything, that’s why I race cars,” he said.

“I had an amazing time in Australia and then to come here… the last couple of weeks or years actually has been a dream come true.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time in NASCAR. Thanks everyone for making me feel so welcome. Hope I’m here for a long time to come.”

The Cup Series heads to Dover Motor Speedway on July 21 (AEST).

Results: NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Save Mart 350, Sonoma Raceway

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