Brandon Jones Picks Up 14 Positions to Finish Inside the Top 15 at Richmond International Raceway

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Brandon Jones made his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) start of the season with NTS Motorsports at Richmond International Raceway on Thursday night. Racing with a yellow and black PROSTOCK scheme, Jones fought from the back of the pack to finish inside the top 15.

Making his third-career NKNPSE start at the 0.75-mile track, Jones spent the two practice sessions dialing in his PROSTOCK Chevrolet, while also working on managing his tires. After finishing the opening practice session in the 16th position, the Atlanta, Georgia native jumped to fifth on the speed charts in final practice on the strength of a mock qualifying run. Happy with the handling of his car, Jones posted the second-fastest lap during qualifying before rain moved through the area, causing NASCAR to cancel the session with just a handful of cars remaining to make their laps. With the field set by the NASCAR Rule Book, Jones was relegated to the 29th starting position for the 100-lap race.

With more rain on the way, teams knew they would be racing the weather in the UNOH 100, and drivers found themselves racing two and three wide to get through traffic quickly. When the first caution flag waved on lap 17, Jones reported that his PROSTOCK Chevrolet was tight through the center of the turn before getting really free on exit. With all the rubber washed off the track, most of the field was facing the same challenges, which made passing difficult deep in the pack. By the time the field restarted, Jones had quietly worked his way into the top 20 and focused on gaining additional track position. Picking up positions one-by-one, Jones worked his way into the top 15 before rain returned to the track on lap 61. After continuing a few laps under caution, NASCAR decided to call the race official after completing just 70 of the 100 laps originally scheduled. Jones ultimately crossed the finish line in the 15th position with his PROSTOCK Chevrolet.

Brandon Jones on Richmond International Raceway
“We had a pretty good day with our PROSTOCK Chevrolet team. We made a lot of laps and tried a lot of different things during practice and learned a lot for the next time we come here. Since all the rubber got washed off the track between qualifying and the race, it seemed like everyone was fighting the same handling challenges during the race, and when everyone is doing the same thing, passing becomes very difficult. We had a really strong PROSTOCK Chevrolet, but after starting as far back in the field as we did, it was very difficult to get back through all the traffic. I can’t thank Bob Newberry, everyone at NTS Motorsports and PROSTOCK enough for this opportunity. It wasn’t the finish we were hoping for, but we had a lot of fun throughout the day.”

NTS Motorsports PR

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