“No surprise”: NASCAR insider weighs in on JR Motorsports’ front row sweep at Sonoma

JR Motorsports drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch will start alongside each other on Row 1 for Saturday’s (June 13) Xfinity Series race at Sonoma Raceway. Gisbergen, driver of the No. 9 JRM Chevy, is the defending winner of the 2024 event at the 2.52-mile street circuit. Notably, it was he and Zilisch who rounded up the front row last week in Chicago as well.

Gisbergen bagged the pole for this week’s event, marking his second consecutive pole of the 2025 season. Only his car pulled off a fast lap at over 95 mph. Reporting the news of JR Motorsports’ 1-2 sweep at Sonoma, veteran journalist Bob Pockrass wrote on X (formerly Twitter),

“No surprise for front row of Xfinity race at Sonoma: Shane van Gisbergen on the pole, Connor Zilisch joins him on the front row.”

Bob Pockrass

@bobpockrass

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No surprise for front row of Xfinity race at Sonoma: Shane van Gisbergen on the pole, Connor Zilisch joins him on the front row.

Gisbergen does not compete full-time in the Xfinity Series anymore. So, winning this week’s race will only add to his repertoire. But for Zilisch, it has a bigger implication.

The 18-year-old racing prodigy will enter the race fifth in the driver standings with 571 points to his name. He can win stages and score playoff points, all of which will help him land a better place in the standings. 18 races into the season, the driver has amassed a pair of wins besides seven top fives and nine top-10s.

All eyes are now on Sonoma Raceway. Named the Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250, the 79-lap event will stream live on CW, with exclusive radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. expresses concerns amid NASCAR’s expiring contract with Chicago

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who owns JR Motorsports alongside his sister Kelly Earnhardt and Hendrick Motorsports boss Rick Hendrick, expressed his worries about NASCAR’s soon-to-expire contract with the Chicago Street Race, which made its official debut back in 2023. Notably, Shane van Gisbergen won the very first iteration of the annual event.

Although there is no news of renewal yet, Dale Jr. wouldn’t be “mad” if Chicago lands a new deal with NASCAR. Speaking of which, on his Dale Jr. Download podcast, the Hall of Famer said (31:02),

“I can’t even imagine how much of a spiderweb the agreement or any future agreement or how to even get down that path is for NASCAR in the city and all that (expletive). You don’t know who’s telling the truth about whether they really want to do this again or not.”

“But if they said tomorrow, ‘Yeah, there’s a new two-year deal or three-year deal, I wouldn’t be mad about it. The race itself is entertaining as (expletive),” he added.

As things stand, there have been rumors that suggest that the City of San Diego could replace Chicago in 2026 and beyond. However, the JR Motorsports boss said that he would like to see both Chicago and San Diego on NASCAR’s roster.