Shane van Gisbergen remains the favorite at Sonoma

It is difficult to bet against Shane van Gisbergen whenever the series hits a road course. Even after an early exit in San Diego, the numbers are simply staggering: he has possessed the fastest car in nine of his 15 road-course starts and dominated this very track last year by leading 97 of 110 circuits. According to NASCAR Insights, he remains the man to beat.

While Ty Gibbs secured the Busch Light Pole Award and Carson Hocevar impressed with another front-row start, the consistency of veterans cannot be overlooked. Michael McDowell, for instance, enters with a 4.0 average finish in the Next Gen car here, while Chase Elliott holds the best average finish of all active drivers with multiple starts at 10.2.

Looking down the field, AJ Allmendinger is someone to watch as he battles for a playoff spot; he joins McDowell as the only drivers to finish in the top 10 at all three road-course races this season. Conversely, it might be a long weekend for Denny Hamlin, who has struggled significantly at Sonoma in recent years, finishing 20th or worse in all four of his Next Gen starts.