The rumble of Bristol Motor Speedway still pulses through veins, and for Brandon Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Xfinity Series driver, the SciAps 300 was a heart-pounding clash that reignited his passion. Coming off a career-defining win at Darlington, where he broke a 98-race drought, Jones hit Bristol—NASCAR’s “Last Great Colosseum”—with a spark. Racing at Thunder Valley has always been a task for drivers, and on Saturday, Jones had his fair share of trouble navigating his way on the half-mile concrete track.
Piloting the No. 20 Toyota, decked out with Arkansas Razorbacks pride, Jones fought to a fifth-place finish, leading the Toyota charge and clinching a Dash for Cash spot at Rockingham. His team’s lightning-fast pit stops kept him in the fight, even with a car that wasn’t dialed in perfectly. That top-five marked his fifth top-10 in six races this season, proof that the 28-year-old is finding his rhythm after a tough stretch at JR Motorsports. Bristol’s demanding half-mile, with its slick PJ1 and rubber buildup, tested every ounce of his skill, forcing him to channel a driving style from NASCAR’s bygone days.
Brand Jones had a tough outing at Bristol
The Bristol race saw Kyle Larson dominate, leading 277 of 300 laps, but Jones carved his own path. Historically, the JGR driver has had some good runs at Thunder Valley, with a couple of top-10 runs and a runner-up finish in 2022. But for the first time since 2020, the Xfinity Series race at Bristol returned to its spring date, and well, the on-track racing was a bit different. Now, whenever we talk about the Bristol race, elements like PJ1 and tire wear do play a huge role in the outcome of the event. And going by the Jones’ admission, he feels that the Cup race could be an entertaining affair for the fans.
Here’s how he broke it down: “Yeah, I mean, you’re going to see an interesting cup race tomorrow, I have a feeling. But, yeah, just the bottom kind of fires off, but it’s just so difficult to keep the car down there, you know. You have to have a really unique balance to be able to drive through that PJ1, and the rubber builds really tall and thick through it, and trying to drive through that is very difficult. So I was my best once I found, actually towards the very end of that race, when I found getting up as high as I could and just staying as high as I could through the exit. Kind of like a very old-school Bristol line, I guess, like you would see once we did start climbing the top a long time ago here. So, yeah, it’s just one of those days.”
The traction compound (PJ1) is spread across the corner of the bottom lane, providing grip for the race cars. But there’s a catch: once the rubber from the cars gets built on the inside lane, it results in a loose grip for drivers while they navigate the corner entry and exit. So, Brandon Jones decided to run the middle and the high lane in search of better grip levels. Interestingly, race winner Larson also opted for a similar strategy.
Last week’s winner @BrandonJonesRac is pleased to keep the momentum rolling with another top-5 from @ItsBristolBaby #SciAps300 #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/639RADA7Mo
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) April 12, 2025
“I figured that, I don’t even know where Larson ended up being good at. I don’t know if he was running the top on or whatever. I’ll have to go back and kind of… [Larson] was kind of like diamond up to the top, and then he came back down to the bottom. I tried that a few times in the race, and I just don’t think I was capable of it. You know, so, like I said, we’ve got some work to do. I think we can come back here if we can be fit on a not-so-great setup, and we come back, and if we make this a little bit better, be contender next time,” Jones added further.
That throwback Bristol magic had Jones hyped for the Cup Series race, curious to see how NASCAR’s heavyweights would tame the same beast. He’s carrying that energy to Rockingham, chasing the $100,000 Dash for Cash prize. “Yeah, I mean, that’s awesome,” he grinned. “I was sad after Darlington, I was happy, but I was like, of course, we’re on an off-weekend where we don’t do Dash for Cash, right? So it’s good to qualify for it.” With Xfinity and truck tests at Rockingham, plus a truck race coming up, Jones is locked in.
His Darlington triumph was pure emotion, outrunning Cup Series stars like Chase Elliott and Noah Gragson in a race that felt like redemption. Holding off those names, crossing the line first, Jones proved he belongs among the elite, tears welling up as the weight of 98 races lifted. Now, with four stellar weeks capped by Bristol’s hard-fought fifth, his No. 20 team is riding a wave. “Guys are very motivating right now,” he said, brimming with belief.
Brandon Jones feels empathy for Frankie Muniz after his Bristol mishap
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Bristol Motor Speedway last Friday sank when Frankie Muniz, the Malcolm in the Middle star turned racer, triggered a chaotic pileup. Frankie, 39, was chasing his racing dream, but seeing him struggle like this? It’s tough to take.
It all went down in Stage 1, just 55 laps into the 200-lap race on Bristol’s tricky half-mile oval. Frankie was piloting his No. 33 Ford for Reaume Brothers Racing, still finding his footing in his first full season. Ty Majeski, driving for ThorSport Racing, misjudged Frankie’s position. Ty thought Frankie was on the outside, but he was tucked inside. Their trucks clipped, and in a split second, Frankie’s truck spun out of control. Brandon Jones and Stewart Friesen, caught in the chaos, slammed into the mess, turning it into a four-truck wreck. The race hadn’t even hit halfway, and their nights were done.
Brandon Jones, who was running strong in his No. 9 Chevrolet, could’ve been furious, but his words hit hard with empathy. “Half of me sort of feels for him, because who’s there to help him?” Jones said. “Nobody. It’s him trying to figure it out on his own. I’ve got plenty of people in my corner helping me prepare for these races, and it’s him vs. him. But on the flip side, you’re at the top level, man, so … you need people helping you to make those decisions. I’m sure no one on the spotter’s stand helped him. I’m sure no one in the pit box helped him.” Brandon even pointed out how Frankie got zero practice laps due to rain canceling sessions.
Ty Majeski, though, was less gentle. He’s a veteran fighting for wins, and Frankie’s unpredictability cost him. Ty explained the mix-up: “I think if there was just a little bit more predictability in what some of these guys were going to do as lapped trucks … he’s talking earlier in the year about earning our respect. We’re not asking you to get out of the way, we’re just asking you to be predictable.”
Frankie’s been open about earning respect since his Daytona debut, where he said he wants to “prove he belongs.” But Bristol showed how steep that climb is. He’s juggling so much—racing full-time, working on a Malcolm in the Middle reboot, and learning a sport where one mistake ripples. Frankie’s got no one in his corner. At this level, that’s a lonely place to be. The good thing is that he’s still got a ton of races to prove that he belongs here racing against some of the best talents.
The post JGR’s Xfinity Star Feels Excitement for Cup Series Race After Immersing Himself Into Old-School Racing at Bristol appeared first on EssentiallySports.