Lucky 13 rides along with the driver who qualifies 13th, keeping an eye on how their race unfolds. This driver could be sent to the back of the pack and still pull off a victory, or their luck could take a nosedive early in the race. With luck on their side – or against them – anything can happen! So, grab your four-leaf clovers, your lucky horseshoes, and maybe even a rabbit’s foot for the latest Lucky 13! Will it be fortune or misfortune? Let’s find out!
Focused Health 250
Driver: Brandon Jones
Organization & Number: Joe Gibbs Racing, #20
Crew Chief: Sam McAulay
Spotter: Chris Lambert
Stage 1
Brandon Jones faced the first road course of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season in Austin, Texas. After qualifying in the 13th spot at Circuit of the Americas, the opening lap saw the Joe Gibbs Racing driver fall to P16. The field immediately fell single file with very little passing in the opening laps.
Before any ground could be made, Carson Hocevar slammed into the barrels in Turn 6, bringing out the first caution of the day. Jones was still scored in P16 at this time and took the break to talk with his team about what he was feeling and what they were seeing.
The restart forced the front of the field to bunch up completely, and before the next lap ticked by, a number of cars had spun around. Jones took advantage of the situation and moved up to P14.
Jones found himself under attack by Josh Williams and Alex Labbe on Lap 9, and once the aggression shook out, he was sitting P17.
On the next lap, Jones was warned about his shortcutting in Turn 3. The JGR driver was told, “You can’t get any closer than that.”
With seven to go, Jones was told he was running “P10 lap times,” despite being stuck in 17th.
Three laps later, the intensity picked up as pit strategy varied throughout the field. A quick pit stop put Jones in the low 20s, but with three to go, Baltazar Leguizamon wrecked and bought out the caution to end the stage. Jones was scored P24. He noted the car started off tight, and throughout the run, he was losing forward drive. McAulay noted that a lot of drivers were saying the same about the tightness.
Stage 2
The No. 20 team opted to keep Jones on track, allowing him to start Stage 2 in P3 on the second row. McAulay told his driver, “Don’t take any crap on this restart.”
In the opening laps, he shuffled between P4 and P5, but Lap 7 saw him fall to P6. Suddenly, Ryan Sieg was around Jones, and the battles continued ahead of and behind him. Sitting P7, Jones was told, “(No.) 39 is coming back to you, maybe a couple more. Keep fighting.”
Suddenly, there was a full-course caution as NASCAR noted a location where the course needed work after Jeremy Clements moved a tire barrier in Turn 6. Jones told his team, “About the same fire-off on balance, but it came to me a lot quicker.”
The race resumed with nine to go in the stage, where Jones attempted a hard charge, but was shuffled back to P12.
With three to go, Jones was called to pit road for fuel, tires, and adjustments. Sitting P23 to conclude the stage, Jones was instructed to take care of the tires and keep the car clean.
Stage 3
Under caution, the team discussed what Jones was feeling since the adjustments and some tips heading into the final stage.
With 20 to go, Jones was lined up P8 but lost four spots in the opening lap. He gained a spot when Corey Heim went spinning.
On the next lap, Jones was assessed with a stop-and-go penalty after shortcutting Turn 5. This put him back in P25, but Jones was told, “Shake it off and work on moving forward. Go pass these guys.”
Jones worked his way to P23 with 10 to go and had an earful of encouragement from his crew chief and spotters. It seemed all parties involved felt more ground could be made in the closing laps due to the potential misfortune of others.
At the front of the field, Connor Zilisch and Carson Kvapil were going door to door. Meanwhile, Jones radioed his team that he was experiencing some wheel shake.
With six to go, McAulay opted to bring Jones to the pits for fresh tires. He noted, “We’ll only lose a few spots,” but he felt it would be to their advantage in the instance of a late-race caution.
As he returned to the track, Kvapil took to pit road after losing a right front tire. Jones was running P30 and told to “fight hard.”
Unfortunately, the luck for the No. 20 Menards Toyota Camry ran out of steam, and Jones finished the day P30.
As Jones took the checkered flag, McAulay said, “Not what we wanted, but good job on pit road. Sorry how those tires worked out…I know these road courses have been tough, but we’ve got some good tracks coming up…We’re in this together.”
Sponsor Shout-out + Social Round-up
NASCAR fans know sponsors make the sport go ’round. We want to give a shoutout to Menards, who played a huge part of the weekend for Brandon and the No. 20 team.
Be sure to give Brandon Jones (Facebook, Instagram, X) and Joe Gibbs Racing (Facebook, Instagram, X) a follow to keep up with the latest news from the driver and team.
