(Photo: Sam Draiss | The Podium Finish)
After a winless 2021 season, Brandon Jones is finally back on the board in 2022. On April 8, Jones won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway, snapping a 50-race drought.
“Even before our win, I thought the season was going pretty well,” Jones told The Podium Finish at Dover Motor Speedway. “It’s a big team morale boost whenever you get a win. And I feel like it surely ignites the team and gets them more and more excited for the season.”
Jones, 25, began his racing career later than most. He started at age 13 and didn’t have many connections in racing.
But, he did have funding. His father, JR Jones, is the executive chairman at Rheem. The family connection opened doors for sponsorship opportunities.
“None of our people in my family ever really did much oval track racing,” Jones said. “It was tough to figure out what’s the right avenue, how to even get started in this.
“You’re out there racing against people that are 30 or 40 years old at 13. That’s a tough avenue to get going on, but, I don’t think that I would have probably done it in any other way. I think that everything that we did growing up, truly worked out.”
Jones raced parts of three seasons in the Camping World Truck Series and debuted in Xfinity in 2015, making five starts for Richard Childress Racing. He went full time with RCR in 2016 and 2017 before making the switch to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018.
“Nothing kind of prepares you for that next step, that next big league,” Jones said. “There [are] always lessons to be learned from your earlier starts. What I would have known now to go back would have been a whole totally different story.”
In 2019, his second season with JGR, Jones won his first Xfinity race at Kansas Speedway. A year later, Jones snagged three victories and 19 top 10s, finishing sixth in points.
“The whole significance of those wins is you’re coming up the ranks,” Jones said. “It’s like ‘OK, does this kid really have it?’ You always know in the back of your head you’re giving it all you got and you’re putting in a ton of work. So it’s just nice to see.”
But, one year later, Jones went winless for JGR. The organization won 12 times in Xfinity in 2021, and all besides one came from the 54 car — headlined by five wins for Kyle Busch and four for Ty Gibbs.
Jones, however, still recorded 19 top 10s and placed seventh in points.
(Photo: Sam Draiss | The Podium Finish)
“I never got discouraged,” Jones said. “We had speed to contend for wins and it just seemed like one thing after another last year… I’ve watched plenty of Cup guys, really good Cup guys, go through seasons that way. I think that you definitely brought the ups and downs of the sport in that sense.”
In 2022, Jones is off to arguably his best start. In addition to the Martinsville win, Jones has six top 10s and is sixth in points through 11 races. He finished second at Phoenix in March and finished seventh at both Dover and Darlington — the last two races.
Additionally, Jones has five top-five qualifying efforts, including a pole at Dover. Under new practice and qualifying procedures, teams don’t have as much on-track time before races, so Jones relies on simulator work for preparation.
“There is simulator time that we get — it’s very vital, especially now,” Jones said. “We come for 20 minutes of practice and get to go race. So having multiple days at their simulators is a big key. I felt like our Xfinity program plays a big part in that simulator.”
Jones wants to build off early-season momentum for an opportunity he hasn’t had yet in racing: a chance for a championship.
“My goal for the season: make the final four, and then just, whatever happens, happens,” Jones said. “I’ve never got the chance to make the final four. I have been close a lot of times and just haven’t ever closed that door to get there.”
In order to achieve that goal, Jones relies on a strong support system around him at JGR. Jeff Meendering is in his fourth season atop of the 19 box, and Jones said they work well together.
Before working with Jones, Meendering spent two seasons with Cole Custer at Stewart-Haas Racing. He also served as Bobby Labonte’s Cup Series crew chief in 2008, recording a pair of top 10s.
“We have Jeff around for a good reason,” Jones said. “We’re not just work colleagues. I feel like we’re good friends outside of this sport. We can open up and talk about pretty much anything. Nothing’s off the table. That’s pretty important to have an open communication between you and your main guy that’s working on the car.”
(Photo: Sam Draiss | The Podium Finish)
Additionally, Jones has grown his relationships with Busch and Martin Truex Jr. out of the team Cup shop, and he feels it’s helped him both on and off the track.
“I’ve developed good relationships with Kyle and Martin,” Jones said. “Ran for Kyle’s truck team a little bit in the past, so that’s helped open that door up some. The hunting and fishing aspect, Martin’s kind of helped to open that door as well.”
Now in his seventh full-time Xfinity season, Jones is hungry for more than just race wins. He’s searching for a championship, and he wants to do it for JGR.
“I really feel like Toyota has been a great family to me,” Jones said. ‘It’s been really fun. It’s been fun to get to know Joe. It’s been getting fun to know Coy [Gibbs], and everyone at Toyota… They’ve done a lot of awesome things for me.”
The Xfinity Series returns Saturday, May 21 at Texas Motor Speedway for the SRS Distribution 250.
