“Too Tough to Tame”- that is what the Darlington Raceway is dubbed as. But this NASCAR Xfinity series driver not only won in Darlington for the second time in his career but also said, “This place is freaking awesome man, I love coming to Darlington.” Well, he has good reason to say that. Taming the wild track is one thing, but how about bringing down one’s own untamed run of misfortune? That is exactly what he did at Darlington.

The last time Brandon Jones won a race was on April 8, 2022, at the Martinsville spring race. Since then, he had to endure loss in 98 straight races. But that streak was snapped Saturday on one of NASCAR’s most difficult tracks. Moreover, it came after a hard-fought battle with Chase Elliott. Notably, Jones took control of the Sport Clips VFW Help a Hero 200 late and never looked back. On the final restart, he surged past Jeb Burton, who was skating on old tires, and took command of the race.

From there, Jones didn’t flinch. He held off two of the best drivers on the track, Elliott and Justin Allgaier, and drove away in the closing laps to seal the deal. The short run speed on No. 20 Toyota Camry was too hot for the competition as he surged his way up front to the lead with 12 laps to go in the race. After climbing out of his car in Victory Lane, Jones was overwhelmed with emotions and let it all out.

After climbing out of his car in Victory Lane, Jones was overwhelmed with emotions. “It’s a group effort. It’s not just me. I mean, I put loads and loads of time into being mentally tough to get through two tough years like I just came off of—and no wins, right? And to be able to come back and sit in the #20 car with my dad.  I don’t think he’s ever been here for an experience, and he’s here this weekend for the first win that he gets to see, I think. So yeah, it’s just a lot of emotion,” he said. Had to be; after all, he had to go through a lot.

Jones teamed up with Joe Gibbs Racing from 2018 to 2022, where he won five races. He narrowly missed out on the Championship 4 after a collision with teammate Ty Gibbs on the final lap of the penultimate race of the 2022 season at Martinsville Spedway. His Next stint with JRM did not go well for the next two seasons. He missed the playoffs in 2023. Last year in September, he announced coming back to JGR. That seems to have lit a fire. Now, back in familiar territory and behind the wheel of the No. 20, Jones finally looked like himself again. His Darlington triumph marked the sixth win of his Xfinity career. And then he had a message.

“It’s nice for my confidence, right, but it’s also to prove to the haters and people that said I was incapable of doing it, wrong again,” said Jones after the race, whose No. 20 JGR Toyota led 24 of the 137 laps. In fact, Justin Allgaier, who led the most laps (56) on the afternoon and won Stage 2, finishing third in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, had all the good words for Jones. “I am proud of Brandon Jones, I know how hard the kid has worked, he’s done a good job and I’m happy to see him get to Victory Lane,” the reigning series champion said.

Jones’s comeback somewhat took the attention away from the chaos that unfolded last weekend at Martinsville. That race had left fans buzzing and teams bruised, especially after a dramatic final-lap tangle where Sammy Smith wrecked Taylor Gray in a wild bid for victory. The contact sent Gray spinning into the wall, tempers flaring. Heading into Darlington, everyone hoped for cleaner, harder, and more respectful racing. What they got was something even better—a heartfelt story of redemption, grit, and a long-awaited return to winning ways. Meanwhile, another driver also had his fair share of attention.

Chase Elliott stole the spotlight!

Behind Brandon Jones, Chase Elliott stole the spotlight for other reasons. Despite starting from 8 place, Elliott faced some unwanted difficulties. After a clash with Ross Chastain, he got some damage on his No.17 Hendrick Motorsports car. Elliott, who was one of the top contenders at that time, was furious on team radio. However, he calmly restarted the race 35th after repairs and worked his way up to the field in second position.

Elliott charged through the field, dodged chaos, and had a legitimate shot at the win. Just 13 laps before the checkered flag, Elliott found himself in the top 5, and he took the bottom line for the restart. Jones also went for the same. Still, Elliott fought back to second. His drive was relentless. But even his late-race charge wasn’t enough to catch Jones, who simply had more speed when it counted the most.

The 2020 Cup series champion was content with his run. In a post-race interview, he said, “Had a great shot at it for sure. So proud of that. I wish we could have had one more spot, but nonetheless, it was a good, good run. Good to get back to second after everything that happened… Like I said, I couldn’t—I really don’t think I could ask much more out of the car. It was really, really good. These cars are obviously different than Cup car.”

Meanwhile, behind them, Justin Allgaier made some blistering moves. He had the dominant car for most of the afternoon. He won Stage 2 and led several laps, but a slow pit stop buried him in traffic late. Despite that, he rallied to a third-place finish, showing once again that he’s always a threat at Darlington. Notably, Ross Chastain finished fourth, while Carson Kvapil rounded out the top five.

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Darlington Xfinity Race full results: