Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-25):
● Started 13th and finished 37th.
● Just 12 laps into the race, Jones got loose getting into turn three and spun his No. 19 1st Foundation Toyota Supra off turn four.
● With no damage to the No. 19, Jones pitted under caution for four tires and fuel. He returned to the track in 37th, one lap down.
● Jones stayed out at the end of the stage and returned to the lead lap.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 26-50):
● Started 24th and finished seventh. Earned four bonus points.
● Jones set a good pace in the No. 19 1st Foundation Toyota Supra early in the stage and entered the top-10 on lap 26.
● Quiet on the radio throughout the green-flag run, Jones quietly moved up to seventh before the completion of the stage.
● Jones came to to pit road for left-side tires and fuel at the end of the stage.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 51-113):
● Started second and finished 18th.
● Jones maintained his position on the restart and briefly took over the lead on lap 57 as the field ran side-by-side.
● As the drivers shuffled back-and-forth for position, Jones dropped back to 12th on lap 61, just prior to the fourth caution of the race.
● Happy with the handling of his 1st Foundation Toyota Supra, Jones pitted for fuel only on lap 66, but ended up restarting 16th as various other pit strategies played out.
● Jones re-entered the top-10 on lap 73 and held the 10th position as the field ran single-file.
● Once a second group formed in the bottom lane, Jones fell back to 17th until the next caution on lap 86.
● Jones stayed on track and struggled to get back into the top-10, but another caution and restart on lap 100 gave Jones the chance to jump up to sixth with 13 laps remaining.
● The seventh caution of the day allowed Jones to line up in the fifth position with his Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammates Christopher Bell and Jeffrey Earnhardt just ahead of him.
● The JGR trio was working the top line to take the lead as the final caution of the day came on lap 110, resulting in a red flag.
● Jones restarted seventh for the final two laps of the race but was unable to maintain his position after reporting his engine was losing power.
● The No. 19 1st Foundation Toyota Supra ultimately finished the MoneyLion 300 in 18th.
Notes:
● Tyler Reddick won the MoneyLion 300 to score his fourth career Xfinity Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Talladega. His margin of victory over second-place Gray Gaulding was .127 of a second.
● There were eight cautions for a total of 34 laps.
● Twenty-two of the 37 drivers finished on the lead lap.
● Reddick leaves Talladega as the championship leader with a 32-point advantage over second-place Christopher Bell.
Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 19 1st Foundation Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing:
“After the spin early in the race, I told these guys on this 1st Foundation team, we’re never out of the fight. The way this tri-oval is, it has that transition in it and I was just right in that spot trying to make too many moves. I learned that lesson really quick and never got back on that transition. All in all, these guys did really good all week. They never lost composure and just had another unfortunate day at the end of it. That shows a lot of confidence for us – that we can have a mishap like that and come back to stay on track.
“I wanted work with our JGR teammates from the beginning and Jeffrey (Earnhardt) was up there as well with us the entire day. There were some points where I was trying to work with them pretty good too, but coming down to two or three to go, you try to start doing moves that will help you win the race. They did a great job all day long and we all ran up front. I think our superspeedway program with these Toyota Supras is really getting good.”
Next Up:
The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is the Allied Steel Buildings 200 on Saturday, May 4 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The race starts at 1:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1.
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