Brandon Jones finishes second in Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C.- Brandon Jones put in his best finish of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season Saturday, wheeling his No. 9 car to a second-place finish in the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Jones dealt with a brake issue for much of the 200-lap race on Saturday. After several pit stops, he worked his way through the field. With some clever pit strategy, shadowing the strategy of race winner Chase Elliott, he finished second. 

When Elliott took the white flag, Jones was closing the gap between his No. 9 car and Elliott’s No. 17 car. He just couldn’t get a good enough run off turn 2 to challenge Elliott for the win. 

The second-place run is Jones’s first Top-5 finish since last fall at Kansas. He collected stage points with a fourth in stage one, which could go a long way for Jones’s playoff hopes. He currently sits 10th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings, -150 to Austin Hill atop the standings and +85 to the cutline. 

The day for Jones seems to signal some momentum for the No. 9 team as it’s their second consecutive Top-10 finish. Prior to Darlington, Jones hadn’t finished inside the Top-10 since Phoenix, when the No.9 team rattled off three Top-10 results to begin the season. 

Jones isn’t alone in building momentum from Charlotte, as JR Motorsports put three cars inside the Top-5 with Sammy Smith finishing third and Sam Mayer finishing fourth. Mayer has been scorching as of late, with five Top-5 finishes in the last six races while Mayer has four Top-10 finishes in the last seven races. 

The Xfinity Series heads for Portland International Raceway for the Pacific Office Automation 147, with the green flag set to fly next Saturday at 4:30 P.M. ET.