Shane van Gisbergen, whose rookie full-time season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing last year consisted of a victory at the Chicago Street Course, returned to the series for the first time in 2025 this past weekend in Chicago, and despite driving for a different team, he again found victory lane at the 12-turn, 2.2-mile (3.541-kilometer) temporary street circuit in Chicago, Illinois.
Van Gisbergen had initially been slated to make his 2025 Xfinity Series debut at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where he won his first Cup Series race of the year for Trackhouse Racing, last month, but the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet ended up going to Cup teammate Daniel Suarez, who took advantage of the opportunity and won on his home soil.
Van Gisbergen, who also won Sunday's Cup Series race in Chicago for the second time in three years, has two other starts planned for the 2025 Xfinity Series season, both in the No. 9 car, and one of them is set to come this weekend at Sonoma Raceway, where he also managed to win last year.
Though his schedule could still be expanded, since the No. 9 Chevrolet is not currently run by Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team on a full-time basis, his only other planned Xfinity Series start this year is set to come next month at Watkins Glen International.
Shane van Gisbergen replacement confirmed, but not for Sonoma
Between then and now, only one other driver is set to drive it, and that driver is also one of van Gisbergen's Cup teammates: Ross Chastain.
Chastain, who has made three Xfinity Series starts in the No. 9 car already this year, is set to get back behind the wheel in next Saturday afternoon's race at Dover Motor Speedway.
Chastain finished in eighth place at Circuit of the Americas, fourth at Darlington Raceway, and fifth at Nashville Superspeedway earlier this year. In addition to next weekend's race, he is also set to compete in next month's race at Iowa Speedway.
Because the Iowa race is set to mark his fifth start of the year, and he is a full-time Cup driver with more than three years of full-time experience, he is not allowed to compete in the Xfinity Series beyond that.
The only other driver set to drive the No. 9 Chevrolet this season, as of now, is Connor Mosack, who is set to drive it at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in October. Mosack made his first start of the season in Chicago and finsihed in 26th place for SS-Green Light Racing with BRK Racing.
This weekend's Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 is set to be shown live on the CW Network from Sonoma Raceway beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 12. If you have yet to begin a free trial of FuboTV, do so now and don't miss any of the action!