With extra lap at Sonoma, Ty Gibbs earns first pole position on a road course in NASCAR Cup career

SONOMA, Calif. (AP) — Ty Gibbs earned the first road-course pole position of his NASCAR Cup Series career, capitalizing on a decision to take another crack at Sonoma Raceway.

Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota shot to the top of the board late in the final qualifying session on Saturday after a disappointing initial lap. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver toured the 1.99-mile layout in one minute, 14.829 seconds and just topped Carson Hocevar (1:14.854). Kyle Larson qualified third, followed by Michael McDowell and Ross Chastain.

“I felt like I just had some more speed out there,” Gibbs said about convincing his team to take another run. “I just thought that I didn’t have a great first lap. It was pretty good, but I just think I could get better and then I just stuck to that.”

It’s the third career Cup pole and the first since July 2024 at Pocono Raceway for the 23-year-old grandson of NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs, who won three Super Bowls as Washington's head coach.

Ty Gibbs broke through in April for his first Cup win at Bristol Motor Speedway and is optimistic for Sunday’s 110-lap race.

“Our Camry is really fast,” he said. “I’m really happy with it. It did a really good job, and I did a good job as well.”

Defending race winner Shane van Gisbergen qualified sixth after winning the pole in his four previous NASCAR starts at Sonoma. He is coming off a 38th at the San Diego street race, where he started on pole but was caught in a crash that knocked him to 17th in the points standings and outside a provisional spot in the Chase championship playoff.

“We had a good opportunity for a points day,” van Gisbergen said of San Diego. “My car just came alive, so I was pretty gutted trying to think about what I could have done better there. I was pretty pissed off with that, but I can use it as motivation pretty well. I’m pretty fired up this weekend but also pretty calm and focused, too. We just have to go and execute, do my job and try and make up for it this week.”

Bubba Wallace qualified 26th despite spinning and smacking the wall. His No. 23 Toyota will need major front-end repairs to keep its starting spot without going to a backup car.

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Shane Van Gisbergen (97) leads a group around a turn during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Cory Heim (67) leads Ty Gibbs (54) down a straight away during the NASCAR Anduril 250 auto race, Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

CHICAGO (AP) — As the White Sox were slugging their way to a 22-1 victory over the Royals on Friday night, former player Ron Kittle was getting married in a ballpark suite with Chicago chairman Jerry Reinsdorf officiating.

Kittle tied the knot with his girlfriend, Barbara, in Reinsdorf’s suite during Chicago’s 10-run third inning. The White Sox went on to score their most runs since a 22-13 victory at Boston on May 31, 1970.

“He’s so superstitious he might marry somebody today in the bottom of the third,” Kittle, the 1983 AL Rookie of the Year, said Saturday about Reinsdorf.

Harold Baines and Greg Walker, Kittle’s teammates on the 1983 White Sox squad, and their spouses also attended the quick ceremony.

“My better half doesn’t want any notoriety, recognition. She wants to keep it to herself,” Kittle said. “But I invited Harold Baines and his wife and Greg Walker and his wife, and we did it and I was pretty excited. I think Jerry is excited. We’ve become a family over the years.”

The 1983 White Sox, who won the AL West, were honored before Saturday’s game between Chicago and Kansas City.

Kittle said he also is ordained and that he officiated a wedding in the outfield last season on Bill Veeck Day.

“Now I’m the only player to marry someone at the park and get married at the park," Kittle said. “And I’m good.”

Other members of the 1983 team who attended the pregame reunion at Rate Field were Hall of Famer Tony La Russa, who serves as a White Sox special adviser, Richard Dotson and Greg Luzinski.

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Former Chicago White Sox player Ron Kittle is honored with the 1983 White sox team before a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals Saturday, June 27, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)