The 2023 Chicago Cup winner was second-quickest in Practice on a 1:30.816s and then topped Group B of Qualifying with a 1:29.777s.
He would go on to set a 1:29.448s in Round 2 of the session in the #97 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, edging Cup full-timer Kyle Larson (#17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) by 0.013s.
“It looks like Kyle’s very quick as well and Ty [Gibbs, qualified fourth] was fast there ‘til the end,” said van Gisbergen.
“But yeah, what an awesome start; the Kaulig Racing guys have given us a rocket.
“The WeatherTech Chevy’s pretty quick, I’ve kept it straight so far, I’ve got to do that in the race.
“But, these street circuits are tough and every lap, the track’s evolving, getting better and better, and more and more rubber down in different spots, and then we’re going to have the Cup practice now and then the race will be different again.”
In the other Kaulig entries, AJ Allmendinger (#11 Chevrolet) qualified 11th and Josh Williams (#11 Chevrolet), 30th.
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