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With the Xfinity Series in a West Coast swing which saw teams racing – and van Gisbergen winning – in a standalone event at Portland International Raceway last weekend, most have brought two cars per entry across the country.
Kaulig Racing was left with a fairly second-hand #97 Chevrolet after its Antipodean steerer’s come-from-behind victory, but he will have a shiny new toy for the second straight road course event of the season.
#97 Crew Chief Bruce Schlicker confirmed the new to Speedcafe columnist Roland Dane, who is on the ground at Sonoma this weekend.
“Well, we try to give one of the best in the garage some of the best equipment,” explained Schlicker.
“So, we’ve got him a good, brand-new piece for this weekend, and I hope to stay clean, run all 79 laps, and be at the front at the end.”
Van Gisbergen dented both front corners of his Quad Lock Chevrolet at Portland with incidences of contact at Turn 1 but managed to find a path back onto the race track which minimised the damage to the car after he sailed off at Turn 11 during Stage 2.
However, he might have added to the damage when he literally destroyed the rear tyres in a long, celebratory burnout after the chequered flag.
“A little bit,” confirmed Schlicker regarding damage, “But that’s okay.
“We got to cover it in confetti and celebrate at the end of the day, so I’ll take a torn-up race car with a trophy any day.”
The three-time Supercars champion is a red-hot chance of another trophy this weekend, too.
He may have been classified only 28th at the Circuit of The Americas back in March but that was due to a track limits penalty incurred while trying to regain a lead lost during a double Overtime finish.
If not for the fateful Caution that afternoon in Austin, van Gisbergen would be two from two in road courses this year, and expectations are high that he can make it two from three this weekend in Sonoma.
Unlike the full COTA layout and Portland, the Kiwi arrives at Sonoma with real-world experience of the track having driven the Chevrolet ‘Wheel Force’ car in recent weeks.
“As quick a learner as Shane is, one or two laps will be where we hope and expect to be [on the pace],” said Schlicker.
“He’s had some laps in a Cup car over here so he kind of knows some of the corners, what to expect.
“But, either way, we’ve been to a lot of new places with Shane and he’s figuring it out very quickly.”
Van Gisbergen will race in the ‘colours’ (mostly white) of regular Xfinity backer WeatherTech this weekend, with the 50-minute Xfinity Practice session starting on Friday at 16:05 ET/Saturday at 06:05 AEST.
Cup Practice, in which Will Brown makes his NASCAR debut and Cam Waters his first appearance in the top tier, follows immediately after.
Stay with Speedcafe for more exclusives from Roland Dane in Sonoma this weekend
