CORONADO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Even when he鈥檚 less than his best on the twistiest tracks in , Shane van Gisbergen still is better on one lap than the rest of the Cup Series drivers.
The Trackhouse Racing driver qualified first Saturday for near San Diego, turning a 2-minute, 14.788-second lap around the 16-turn, 3.4-mile street course that easily put him ahead of Carson Hocevar.
But van Gisbergen, who , was unhappy with the effort despite winning his sixth career pole and second this season.
鈥淚 left a lot of time on the table,鈥� said van Gisbergen, who scraped the wall with his No. 97 Chevrolet. 鈥淚 thought the track would be better, and I thought people would execute a bit better, but it鈥檚 just so difficult. So yeah, it鈥檚 amazing. I guess this Chevy鈥檚 really good. Just need to get the driver better.鈥�
Ryan Blaney qualified third, and Zane Smith was fourth 鈥� the first of six drivers in the top 10 starting spots who are winless this season.
Their desperation for a victory will be mixed with heavy tire wear that has many drivers predicting chaos over 75 laps Sunday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a heck of a race,鈥� Blaney said. 鈥淭ire degradation is massive, so it鈥檚 who can kind of manage their rears better. Manage your tires and don鈥檛 hit any concrete. I hope I can do those two things. That might be the recipe for success.鈥�
With no Toyotas qualifying in the top 10 (for the first time since last March), several big names will be coming from the back. Denny Hamlin will start 26th as he seeks his fourth consecutive victory with the No. 11 Toyota.
Chase Elliott qualified 30th in the No. 9 Chevrolet. Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson qualified 36th as the El Cajon, California, native makes his second and final start of the season at his hometown race.
With many friends and family from New Zealand on hand, van Gisbergen will be aiming for his eighth Cup victory on a road or street course, which would break a tie with Elliott for most among active drivers.
鈥淭here鈥檚 going to be a lot of carnage, a lot of tire gambling, and hopefully we can make the calls right,鈥� said van Gisbergen, who won from the pole position at Watkins Glen International two months ago.
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