Jones Displays Strength in Chicagoland Debut

Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 33 American Ethanol E15 Chevrolet Silverado, once again showed the progress he has made at 1.5-mile tracks in his first start at Chicagoland Speedway. Competing in just the fourth race of his career at an intermediate track, Jones ran inside the top 10 for nearly 100 of 150 laps before a late-race pit stop resulted in a 17th-place finish.

 

Jones started from the 10th position after rain cancelled qualifying and postponed the race that was originally scheduled for Friday night. The speed Jones showed in Friday’s practice sessions carried over to Saturday’s race, where the NCWTS Rookie of the Year contender displayed the skill of a 1.5-mile veteran. A loose condition held Jones in the 12th position before the third and final caution of the race on lap 83. Crew Chief Shane Huffman called Jones to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment with Jones restarting in the fourth position on lap 95. The Atlanta native patiently worked his way into the second position until being forced to bring the No. 33 American Ethanol E15 Chevrolet down pit road with five laps remaining. Jones struggled to get the American Ethanol E15 Chevrolet re-fired and returned to the track to pick up a 17th-place finish.

 

The No. 33 American Ethanol E15 team is now 10th in the NCWTS owner championship point standings. Jones will return as driver of the No. 33 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 2.

 

BRANDON JONES QUOTE:

“We had a great day with the American Ethanol E15 Chevrolet. It’s hard to complain when we have a truck that can run in the top three. The GMS Racing team worked hard during practice on Friday to make sure we were prepared for a potential Saturday morning race and I can’t thank them enough for their effort. It’s never fun to have to come to pit road late in the race, but there are still a lot of positives to take away from this weekend.”

GMS Racing PR