Connor Zilisch pips Shane van Gisbergen to set fastest time in practice at Sonoma Raceway

Connor Zilisch is set for a rematch against Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma Raceway this weekend. He kicked it off with the fastest time in the practice session, clocking a 75.271-second lap around the 1.99-mile road course track.

In comparison, SVG, who drove the part-time #9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, lapped the Californian circuit in 76.134 seconds, the third-fastest time. Jesse Love split the two drivers with a 75.896-second lap time, with Sheldon Creed and Sammy Smith completing the top five.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series social media team shared Connor Zilisch's early triumph ahead of the race on Saturday.

“Plenty of speed shown from @ConnorZilisch. The No. 88 was the fastest in practice at @RaceSonoma (Sonoma Raceway),” the team wrote.

The upcoming matchup follows their intense race on the streets of Chicago last week. The turning point of their battle was on the penultimate lap when SVG pushed Zilisch to the wall on turn one and took the lead before winning the Xfinity Series race.

The Kiwi driver also won the Cup Series race the following day and swept the weekend. He primarily races the #88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing as one of the two rookies in the premier series (the other is Riley Herbst).

Connor Zilisch driving the #88 Chevrolet on the streets of Chicago - Source: Imagn

The Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 at Sonoma Raceway is happening on July 12 at 4:30 p.m. ET. Connor Zilisch will enter the 79-lapper as a two-time race winner this year as a full-time rookie for JR Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Xfinity Series team.

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“I would have blocked and protected the inside line”: Connor Zilisch explains his perspective on race against SVG in Chicago

Connor Zilisch shared his thoughts on the penultimate lap of the Chicago street race when he lost the lead to Shane van Gisbergen. The 18-year-old didn't expect SVG to make a move on him on turn one, which left him wishing he had protected the inside line more.

In a post-race interview, Zilisch explained (via Bob Pockrass on X):

“Just before the brake zone, I got called to clear and I didn't take it because I wanted to be on the inside for turn two, expecting us to exit turn one, side-by-side. And if I knew that I wouldn't have exited turn one, side-by-side, and he was going to take it and clear himself, I would have blocked and protected the inside line more.”

The Red Bull athlete added:

“So yeah. I definitely would have done it differently, knowing what his plan was. But that's racing, and it wasn't dirty. It was just aggressive and something I'll take note of.”

When the checkered flag fell, Connor Zilisch finished behind Shane van Gisbergen in second place. Sheldon Creed came home in third, followed by Austin Hill and Nick Sanchez. Jesse Love, Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer, Austin Green, and Brennan Poole completed the top 10.

As of this writing, NASCAR hasn't extended its contract with Chicago yet. Reports suggest the stock car racing series could be looking at other cities capable of hosting a street race, with San Diego as one of the favorites.

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Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar