Shane van Gisbergen has marked a historic moment by winning his first pole in a NASCAR points race on an oval circuit, specifically in Richmond, during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition.
With a lap time of 23.168 seconds, he set a record of 0.014 seconds faster than Kaden Honeycutt, who will start second. Chandler Smith and Grant Enfinger will complete the front row in third and fourth places, respectively.
Van Gisbergen, driver of the number 7 from Spire Motorsports, showed impressive performance. After his fast lap, he expressed his gratitude to the team: ‘Thanks to the people at Spire. It has been fantastic. We have had a good week and they have helped me feel comfortable. I am very excited and we will see how we do in the race.’
After three prior races in the Truck Series, including a third place at North Wilkesboro, Richmond has proven to be a favorable circuit for him, with two strong performances previously in the NASCAR Cup Series.
It is important to highlight that Van Gisbergen joins Daniel Suarez and Marcos Ambrose as the only foreign-born drivers to achieve pole in all three national divisions of NASCAR.
The race, initially scheduled for Friday night, has been postponed to Saturday due to adverse weather conditions, with the start planned shortly after 12 PM (EST). Van Gisbergen will be the only driver attempting to complete the 650 scheduled laps between the two competitions on the same day.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
