Following last weekend’s Grant Park 165, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch are all set to lock horns once again, with JR Motorsports locking out the front row for the Sonoma Xfinity Series race. Gisbergen will be the first driver to see the race go green yet again, as Zilisch will line up just behind him.
Having started the last race from pole as well, Gisbergen hopes to win his third road course race of 2025, while also defending his Sonoma crown from last year. However, the road course expert’s continued dominance is starting to become a boring occurrence for the NASCAR world.
NASCAR Fans Quickly Growing Tired of the “One Trick Pony” That Is Shane Van Gisbergen
Gisbergen simply cannot be matched when it comes to road courses in NASCAR, and the 36-year-old has achieved yet another pole position for the Xfinity Series race at Sonoma. Last weekend in Chicago, the Trackhouse Racing/JR Motorsports driver achieved a clean sweep, winning the Xfinity Series and Cup Series races.
The New Zealander seems to have picked up right from where he left off in Chicago, as he returned to the front of the field for the race start on Saturday. Gisbergen was over two tenths of a second faster than Zilisch in Qualifying, with the two teammates set to battle for the race win for the second week running.
However, the prospect of the battle doesn’t entice many NASCAR fans, with most of them confident that there will only be one outcome. Taking to X, many detailed their boredom of seeing Gisbergen dominate the road courses in NASCAR, with one fan labeling him a “one trick pony” in response to an update by the official Xfinity Series page.
One trick pony
— Chris 🇺🇸🏁🇺🇸 (@SmashingFenders) July 11, 2025
One fan took a sarcastic jibe at the update as they expressed their “shock.” Meanwhile, another wondered why they should even bother watching the race, given that the result is in no doubt.
Why even bother, we know who is going to win anyway, if he is not wrecked somehow
— Debi 💕 (@marrimani) July 11, 2025
One fan has claimed that the 36-year-old is “ruining” road course races.
SVG is ruining RC races.
— Tim Jones (@TimJone15999582) July 11, 2025
Another feels that seeing Gisbergen dominate on road courses is like watching a rerun of the same story.
It’s like watching a rerun of a story you just watched. Great for NASCAR to plunge more and more . Cannot grow if you can find loop holes to the playoffs
— look it up (@lookitupleo) July 11, 2025
And one fan voiced the opinion of a majority when claiming that Gisbergen was making road course racing a boring event in NASCAR.
SVG is making road courses so boring
— Scooter (@Scooter1542514) July 11, 2025
The fans’ concerns are further highlighted by the fact that Gisbergen now has five pole positions in the Xfinity Series, and all of them have come at road/street courses. Even his wins have mostly come at the same tracks, making him a clear favorite to win a race that happens away from Speedways and Superspeedways.
Nonetheless, Zilisch will be hoping to cause an upset and take revenge for the Chicago race, having now learned what to expect from the 36-year-old.
