FORT WORTH, Tex. – For a while, it seemed that Brandon Jones would rack in a career day at Joe Gibbs Racing in Saturday afternoon’s My Bariatric Solutions 300, but within a span of 10 laps, his day was over at Texas Motor Speedway.
After qualifying third, Jones was able to score his first-career stage victory in the second stage after a bold call to stay out during a Lap 81 caution allowed Jones to scoot away in a one-lap shootout to collect 10 stage points and 1 playoff point.
However, two laps after the start of Stage 3, Jones broke loose in the high groove and spun on the frontstretch tagging the wall, and collecting Kaz Grala, Alex Labbe and Ryan Sieg in the process.
Jones was able to drive his mangled No. 19 Toyota Service Centers Toyota back to pit road, where the damaged was deemed terminal sending him to the garage and out of the sixth race of the season.
“It is a product of running at the top,” Jones said. “We placed our whole entire race on being on that bottom lane. We made that pit call at the end of stage two that worked out for us.
“We got stage points. It’s so tough on the top. There is so much grip on the bottom, but it is so cold out. When you get out of that rubber, it’s difficult.”
On the heels of three consecutive top-15 finishes during the Xfinity Series west coast swing, Jones entered Saturday afternoon’s race with stern goals in place.
The Atlanta, Ga. native wanted to qualify well, earn crucial stage points and earn his first top-five finish of the year. While two of the two goals became reality – Jones will look to rebound in the series’ first short track of the year next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Monday morning we had three goals coming to Texas – qualifying good, which we started third, get stage points, which we almost got the max amount of stage points and bonuses we possibly could, and to finish top five and I think we were on our way to do that,” added Jones. “Just disappointed, man. I want to prove so bad that I can run in the top five and I think we were going to today. We’ve got plenty of races left and we’ll make sure we do it again soon.”
“Just disappointed man. I want to prove so bad that I can run in the top five and I think we were going to today. We’ve got plenty of races left and we’ll make sure we do it again soon.”
Jones’ 33rd-place finish dropped him from ninth to 10th in the point standings.
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