Brandon Jones Wins Pole at Martinsville in Vain; Cole Custer to Lead the Way

Just when it seemed like #9 snagged his second pole at Martinsville, an issue got in his way: Brandon Jones will have to scoot back to the rear because of some car trouble. So, stepping up to the spotlight is Cole Custer. After leading the pack for the 19th time in Las Vegas, Custer’s making it a round 20. Turns out, Jones’ crew spotted a teeny tiny crack in his brake rotor. They’ve got to swap it out. In the Cup Series, this kind of part switch wouldn’t send you to the back since it’s a part everyone uses. But in Xfinity, the rules are different, so back to the rear he goes.

Brandon Jones despite clinching the pole position had to start rear; finished first top-10

The pole win was supposed to be Jones’ 9th career pole and his first in 2024, tying a record for JR Motorsports. Meanwhile, Cole Custer claimed second place, and Sheldon Creed nabbed the third spot to start. Jones nailed a lap at 96.151 mph, matching the Xfinity track record Ty Gibbs set back in 2022. Right on his heels, Cole Custer landed second with a lap at 95.845 mph, with Sheldon Creed (95.840 mph), Jeb Burton (95.665 mph), and Justin Allgaier (95.656 mph) rounding out the top 5.

However, Chandler Smith, the guy leading the points in Xfinity, couldn’t even make it to the qualifiers. A brake problem during practice sent him crashing into the wall. His team had to haul the car all the way back to their shop in Huntersville, North Carolina, to figure out what went wrong. So, Jones isn’t the only one starting from the back. Chandler Smith is right there with him since he didn’t clock in a qualifying lap either.

Smith ended up with a banged-up car during practice and had to send it back to Charlotte for some TLC. When it comes to tearing it up on short tracks, there are a couple of drivers who really know their stuff. Jones has shown time and again that Martinsville is his jam, though he’s hit a bit of a rough patch lately.

And that’s probably why starting at the back might not phase him much. His speed on the track could be the secret sauce behind his sky-high confidence.

Brandon Jones was all class about potentially moving to the back

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Jones clocked in a lap that was a mere 0.063 seconds quicker than Cole Custer’s, setting him up to start alongside Custer in the front row. Jones, rolling with JR Motorsports, was over the moon about the speed his car had on a track he’s had success on before.

Jones shared,  “Hats off to these guys. Such a good start. This is my place man. I love this race track. It’s a good rebound from last weekend at Richmond. It was a strong beginning, started second there and then had a motor failure. You know, it’s redemption, man. I want to try to get back on top here. Looking forward to getting going tomorrow evening.” Even when the possibility of starting from the rear came up, Jones was pretty chill about it, “I guess we’ll go to the back if we have to.”

Read More: JR Motorsports Star Brandon Jones Struck With Heartbreak as NASCAR Denies Stage Two Win at COTA

During his post-qualifying chat, Jones laid out his plan for the first part of the 250-lap race: just keep on the lead lap and gradually make his way forward. But starting from the back might not faze him much for he has been in that situation previously and has truly aced it.

Back in 2021, he kicked off from 24th at Martinsville and clawed his way to a 5th-place finish. With one win, a couple of top-5s, and two top-10s in seven races at Martinsville under his belt, Jones is keyed up to recapture the magic he had driving the 19 car for JGR, now that he’s with JR Motorsports.