North Wilkesboro Speedway saw a jaw-dropping moment on All-Star weekend as NASCAR newcomer Shane van Gisbergen lit up the timing charts, storming to pole position for the All-Star Open in a jaw-dropping debut on the historic oval.
The All-Star Open qualifying format is anything but typical. Unlike standard sessions, NASCAR’s All-Star weekend shakes things up as drivers begin with a full-speed lap, then make a mid-run dive onto pit road for a four-tire pit stop before completing the second lap.
The stopwatch doesn’t stop until the lap ends, making every element from braking point to pit crew execution crucial. Any misstep, like a loose wheel or pit lane speeding, comes with penalties.
The first wave of drivers on track were the 18 hopefuls looking to race their way into the main All-Star Race. Only the top two finishers in the Open, plus one fan-voted driver, will move on to the marquee event.
The field needed to be set before the racing could begin, and that’s where SVG stole the show.
Driving the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, van Gisbergen, a Supercars champion and NASCAR Cup Series rookie, laid down an electric lap of 88.685 seconds at an average speed of 76.112mph, putting him over two-tenths clear of Carson Hocevar and Noah Gragson. It was a perfect storm of driver precision and pit crew excellence.
“Yeah, I think we finally got all the things right,” van Gisbergen said, beaming after the run.
“Qualifying has been a weakness. My lap was pretty good, coming in was good, and the pit stop guys were insane, so it was really good for them.
“Thanks to WeatherTech, thanks to the Trackhouse pit crew, and we’re up front tomorrow.”
Despite being a master of qualifying in Supercars with 48 poles to his name , this marks his first-ever pole start on a NASCAR oval. In fact, before stepping onto the track earlier that day, SVG had never even laid eyes on North Wilkesboro.
“I’ve never started at the front for an oval, so I don’t know what to do there,” he admitted.
“I’ll have to learn the rules and see how we go.”
Van Gisbergen’s best prior oval start in the Cup Series came at Talladega, where he rolled off 17th. Now, he’ll lead the field to green in the Open, with Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar, a frontrunner in the Fan Vote, alongside him on the front row.
Noah Gragson, Michael McDowell, and Ryan Preece rounded out the top five. Zane Smith, Justin Haley, John Hunter Nemechek, Ty Gibbs, and Ty Dillon completed the top 10.
Later in the evening, Cup veteran Brad Keselowski locked down the pole for the All-Star Race itself, while Michael McDowell’s pit crew flexed their muscle by winning the coveted Pit Crew Challenge.
With SVG already turning heads before the green flag even drops, the stage is set for an explosive All-Star Open Race and Van Gisbergen’s first real shot to win on an oval.
| Position | Driver | Lap | Speed (mph) |
| 1 | Shane Van Gisbergen | 88.685 | 76.112 |
| 2 | Carson Hocevar | 88.884 | 75.942 |
| 3 | Noah Gragson | 89.596 | 75.338 |
| 4 | Michael McDowell | 89.61 | 75.326 |
| 5 | Ryan Preece | 89.688 | 75.261 |
| 6 | Zane Smith | 90.478 | 74.604 |
| 7 | Justin Haley | 90.495 | 74.590 |
| 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | 90.841 | 74.306 |
| 9 | Ty Gibbs | 90.918 | 74.243 |
| 10 | Ty Dillon | 91.444 | 73.816 |
| 11 | Cole Custer | 92.050 | 73.330 |
| 12 | Erik Jones | 95.597 | 70.609 |
| 13 | Riley Herbst | 99.650 | 67.737 |
| 14 | Bubba Wallace | 99.690 | 67.710 |
| 15 | Cody Ware | 99.791 | 67.641 |
| 16 | AJ Allmendinger | 110.942 | 60.843 |
| 17 | Todd Gilliland | 122.695 | 55.014 |
| 18 | Chad Finchum | 144.025 | 46.867 |
Header Image: Getty Images / NASCAR
