Getty Brandon Jones delivered a strong performance at Martinsville Speedway.
The start of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season has been anything but smooth for Brandon Jones, but he snapped his frustrating streak at Martinsville Speedway with a strong performance.
Jones headed to one of his favorite tracks on April 15, and he turned in a much-needed performance. He started 10th overall in the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, and he kept the car clean while other drivers wrecked after battles on the short track. Jones then crossed the finish line fifth overall in what was by far his best finish of the season.
Jones was not in contention for the win due to the ongoing battle between winner John Hunter Nemechek, runner-up Sammy Smith, and Cole Custer. However, he was simply strong overall while finishing inside of the top 10 in all three stages. This production scored him 38 crucial points and put him back on the right track.
Jones is now 13th in the championship standings after the first eight races of the Xfinity Series season. He is nine points behind Parker Kligerman, who holds the final spot above the playoff elimination line.
The emotions were evident as Jones climbed out of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro. He told media members that his team has had speed all season long but that they don’t have the finishes to show for it. Now that they have a top-five finish on the books, they have reached a turning point that puts the team “really close” to a win.
Jones Faces Big Expectations Entering the 2023 Season
GettyBrandon Jones practices at Martinsville Speedway.
Jones secured five Xfinity Series wins with Joe Gibbs Racing between 2019 and 2022. Two were at Kansas Speedway, one was at Phoenix Raceway, one was at Martinsville Speedway, and one was at Darlington Raceway.
The Georgia native showed that he could win while driving the No. 19 Toyota, but he faced raised expectations entering his first season with JR Motorsports. The reason is that he was taking over the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro that Noah Gragson took to Victory Lane 13 times between 2020 and 2022.
Jones has finished every race in 2023, and he has shown speed behind the wheel of the No. 9 Chevrolet. Though he only secured three top-20 finishes in the first seven races of the season due to on-track incidents.
Martinsville Speedway Has Been 1 of Jones’ Best Tracks
GettyBrandon Jones (left) has performed consistently at Martinsville Speedway.
Jones has made six starts at Martinsville Speedway in his career. Five have been with Joe Gibbs Racing while the most recent was with JR Motorsports. He has delivered five top-10 finishes, three top-fives, and one win.
The only race in which Jones did not secure a top-10 finish was during the 2022 Xfinity Series playoffs. He started from the pole, led 98 laps, and put himself in a position to win on the final lap. However, JGR teammate Ty Gibbs punted Jones into the wall and wrecked him so that he could capture the win himself.
Instead of securing his second career trip to Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway, Jones finished the race in the 23rd position. He then closed out his JGR tenure with the season finale at Phoenix Raceway before taking over the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.