Ty Gibbs wrecked teammate Brandon Jones at Martinsville Speedway so that he could win the race. This took away an opportunity for Jones to reach the championship four, but he is not focusing on revenge heading to the Xfinity Series season finale.
Jones met with media members after finishing 23rd in the cutoff race, but he refrained from fully going after his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. Instead, he detailed what he will focus on when he climbs into the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra for the last time on November 5.
“My goal is to win the race. I can’t sit here and think, ‘I got to go ruin Ty Gibbs’ day at Phoenix,’” Jones told media members after the race. “I got to think about how can I go win Phoenix, and that’s gonna give me the most possible momentum leading into next year — which I feel really strong about — and have a really good opportunity to go win six times the races I did this year, I think. It’s going to be good, for sure.”
Jones continued and added another reason why he won’t focus on revenge. He explained that Gibbs has “made plenty of enemies” with his aggressive driving style. “Eventually, it’ll take care of itself,” he said.
Jones Just ‘Wanted a Chance’ at Martinsville
GettyBrandon Jones nearly secured his second win of the season.
The driver of the No. 19 noted that he had used his bumper a few times during the race. He made contact with Gibbs, including with about nine laps remaining. However, Jones clarified that he bumped his teammate; he didn’t wreck him.
As Jones explained, he just wanted a chance to fight for the win. He indicated that he was fine with Gibbs bumping him back, as long as they still had the chance to battle each other for the win. Getting sent into the wall took away this chance.
“Second place, last place, it didn’t matter for us today,” Jones said. “We had to win the race. That part of it is what it is, but I would have liked to at least have a chance to race against him and try to hold him off.”
Now, Gibbs will fight for a championship with three members of JR Motorsports. Jones will close out his tenure with JGR at Phoenix Raceway, and he will try to secure his sixth career win at a track where he has previously celebrated in Victory Lane.
Jones Previously Focused on Respect Instead of Wins
GettyBrandon Jones (top) did not wreck Noah Gragson (bottom) at Bristol.
The trip to Martinsville Speedway is not the first time that Jones has been within reach of a win at a short track during the 2022 season. He captured the spring race at Martinsville after Sam Mayer sent Gibbs up the track. Jones also avoided wrecking Noah Gragson during a different race.
Back on September 16, Gragson and Jones battled for the win at Bristol Motor Speedway. There were multiple opportunities for the driver of the No. 19 to move the driver of the No. 9, but he chose to settle for a second-place finish. Fast-forward to October 29, and Jones explained why he used this strategy.
“I mean, I ran behind Noah this year at Bristol,” Jones said. “Everyone was mad at me for not wrecking Noah there, but it was more of a respect thing. I wanted to get to his left rear and give him a chance to win the race. I got more satisfaction out of that than doing something like [Gibbs’ move].”
Comments
Brandon Jones Not Focusing on Revenge After Ty Gibbs Wreck