Shane van Gisbergen Felt "Slow," But His Five-Lap Average Is Absolutely BONKERS on This Brutal Track

Alright, buckle up, fam, because NASCAR just dropped us into the deep end at Naval Base Coronado, and Friday's practice was WILD. This San Diego Street Course? Everyone's calling it the most difficult road course NASCAR has EVER seen. The kicker: Shane van Gisbergen, the dude known for carving up road courses, felt "slow" out there. Yet, his five-lap average was nearly a full second faster than anyone else! What gives?!

This Monster Track Is Eating Tires Alive!

This Coronado track is no joke. Drivers spent hours on iRacing, confirming its brutality. Even Shane van Gisbergen, with his road-course reputation, struggled. He snagged the eighth-fastest time, but wasn't happy, reporting difficulties and feeling slow. Significant falloff hit everyone. SVG's team plans more handling changes. You'd think trouble, right? WRONG. His five-lap average was almost a full second quicker than the next best driver! How do you feel slow and still put up *those* numbers? A total game-changer this weekend. Beyond pure speed, let's talk survival. Teams only got three sets of tires for practice. Chris Buescher rolled in after just six laps, his tires visibly corded. Others reported the same. SVG compared it to the ROVAL, where tires are toast after 2-3 laps. Sunday: 75 laps, 255 miles. These tires will be eaten alive. Wrecks? Yeah, they're coming. Cars already getting super loose. Cha

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os is waiting.

Bell's Big Risk, Heim's Huge Step Up

A big question mark: Christopher Bell and the No. 20 car. Dude fractured his wrist at Pocono, but still got a few laps in. This course is so gnarly there's a real chance he starts Sunday's race then hands the wheel over. We saw it in practice! Teenager Brent Crews jumped into the No. 20 and matched Bell's time. Talk about stepping up! Amid all that, new blood is shining. Corey Heim, 23XI Racing's announced full-time driver for 2027, put on a clinic. He posted the fifth-fastest lap time (2:17.863), *just ahead* of veteran teammate Tyler Reddick (2:17.878). Heim is showing Reddick isn't the only road-course wizard at 23XI. Reddick, Bubba Wallace, Riley Herbst, and Heim all finished top 10 in five-lap averages and top 20 in fastest lap times. Spire Motorsports also looked good: Carson Hocevar hit the fifth-best lap time, and Michael McDowell grabbed the seventh-best time *and* the third-best five-lap average. These teams are clearly getting a handle on this beast. So, what's next? Qualifying is tomorrow, Saturday, and that's it. No more practice. Sunday's race is an absolute slugfest, with tire management, car handling, and pure survival on the line. Will SVG figure out his blazing average despite feeling slow? Can Heim continue to show he's the real deal? And who survives the inevitable wrecks on this tire-eating monster? You won't want to miss a second, because this one feels like it's going to rewrite the record books.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.