Well, it was good while it lasted

Just when I thought I had finally escaped the reign of Shane Van Gisbergen, he went ahead and won on the road course last week, completely dominating us at Sonoma on Sunday.

Sure, Chase Briscoe tried to shake things up towards the end, but I think deep down we all knew that SVG was going to take that race. Even with Jeff Gordon in the mix, SVG would have likely conquered Sears Point.

Side note: Remember when it used to be called “Sears Point”? Those were simpler times, back when things felt, well, a bit better. Sad, right?

Speaking of Jeff, SVG’s latest victory brings him just one win shy of Gordon for the most road course wins in NASCAR history. Gordon has nine, and I suspect Shane will catch up—maybe by Halloween.

Anyway, enough about SVG; we can’t dwell on that forever. What else should we discuss?

How about last week when Noah Gragson mentioned he wanted to punch Kevin Magnussen, only to be warned he might lose his job if he did? You won’t believe this sound bite.

There’s also the drama between Denny Hamlin and Carson Josevar, SVG clashing with F1, and, of course, Hooters Gianna making her comeback in wine country.

Summer is heating up, and so is Gianna. It’s great to have her back.

Four fresh tires, enough fuel to get from Sears Point to Chicago, and maybe even a belt for SVG for sensible usage in the garage… Monday Morning Pit Stop, “Another Aussie ‘Whippin’ Edition,” is now live!

Before we move on, let’s go back quickly…

I didn’t have a stellar race yesterday. Honestly, I’m not typically one to sugarcoat things. A bit like trying to make lemonade out of a few limes—just doesn’t quite work.

(Not sure if that analogy holds, but I’m rolling with it.)

So, before diving into Sonoma, let’s revisit last week’s conversation. If you missed it, we had Noah Gragson and F1 driver Kevin Magnussen dialogue after the race at the naval base, where Gragson unleashed some colorful language at the Europeans.

This is America, folks!

“What’s your problem?” Gragson kept asking after Magnussen had a go at him.

“Get out of my face,” was Magnussen’s subtle retort.

He also had some critiques of NASCAR in another interview, showcasing his European perspective.

“I’ve watched NASCAR before, so I know how you guys play,” he said.

Seriously, Kevin, let’s not have outsiders coming in to school us about our own turf. Don’t mess with the regulars here.

Can you imagine if Kevin had crossed paths with the late Kyle Busch? He had a serious disdain for F1. Just thinking about it makes me miss him.

But anyway, I said I’d stop talking about him, so let’s hear SVG’s take on it.

Josevar, Hamlin, & Hooters Gianna, wow!

“Our sport has so much unpredictability; you never know who will clinch victory. Meanwhile, in Formula 1, it’s usually the same few guys on top.”

So, yeah, SVG is spot on. I don’t have any disagreement there. I may have written quite a bit about F1, but it’s hard to argue with what he said.

That said, SVG’s been on fire lately, winning a stunning eight road course races over the last three years. He took five wins last season alone and has dominated seven out of the last nine road or street races.

It’s definitely SVG’s world on road courses—we’re just all trying to keep up.

Honestly, I might keep an eye on SVG because, despite his success getting under my skin a bit, he’s making some intriguing points lately.

First he comments on F1, then he pokes fun at lap cars, referring to them as “sh-itboxes.” He’s adapting quite well to American style!

And on another note—did Carson Josevar just add another heavyweight to his list yesterday?

I’m inclined to give Carson a bit of leeway here. Everyone seems to be pointing fingers and blaming him, but that chaos is just part of road racing. DW has said it before: “It’s just competitive racing.”

With everyone fighting for position, things get messy. Sometimes you just happen to be in the middle of it all. That’s the reality on the road.

Denny… what do you think?

Asking him again? He’s already mentioned he hasn’t watched the incident but plans to before he comments. Guess he’d rather not rush those thoughts.

“I haven’t seen it yet. I know you want to discuss it, but I’ll react once I do.”

In other words, catch us on the podcast this week!

That’s all for today, and that wraps up this week. It wasn’t the most spectacular race ever, but hey, we got some interesting outcomes. Quick heads-up for everyone…

We’re entering a stretch of three consecutive night races—first in Chicago, then Atlanta, followed by North Wilkesboro. All three green flags will drop after 6 p.m.

Sunday naps might need to be on hold for a while.

Please take me home, Gianna Blaney. It feels great to be back.