We’re in the final stretch of regular-season races on the NASCAR schedule, with this weekend’s trip to Sonoma Raceway marking

Shane van Gisbergen scored his third consecutive pole on a road course, posting the fastest lap in Cup qualifying Saturday at Sonoma Raceway. The Trackhouse Racing driver won the pole and race at Mexico City and repeated the feat last weekend in the Chicago Street Race.

Alex Bowman, who is battling Ty Dillon this week in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge, starts ninth. Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott will start 11th and 13th respectively for Sunday's race.

Sonoma will be the second straight road-course race for NASCAR, and the fourth of the season. Two more remain: Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Roval.

The NASCAR Cup Series will begin its lone visit to California this year by turning laps Saturday at Sonoma Raceway. An hourlong practice will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET on the 11-turn, 1.99-mile road course, followed by qualifying for Sunday’s 110-lap race.

William Byron rolled onto the track in group one and set a lap time of 75.025 seconds, a good enough time for third place. Alex Bowman, who is battling Ty Dillon this week in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge, starts ninth. Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott start 11th and 13th for Sunday's race.

NASCAR Cup Series season continues with the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday. See the starting lineup here.

The sprawling Sears Point campus has transformed into a three-day hotbed of action that concludes with the sport’s best drivers battling it out Sunday.

It's becoming a recurring theme that when NASCAR heads to the road courses, Shane van Gisbergen is going to be the class of the field. On Saturday afternoon in