Xfinity playoff picture: Brandon Jones now in must-win territory after Iowa
NEWTON, Iowa — Brandon Jones was double-digit points above the NASCAR Xfinity Series cutline after finishing second at Charlotte Motor Speedway three weeks ago.
In the three weeks since then, Jones crashed out in Portland and at Sonoma Raceway and had a valve go sour under the first caution on lap 35 that took him out of the race. He finished 36th.
“It sums up our year. We were the fastest car and a mechanical failure took us out. We gotta get our things fixed up because it’s gonna cost us our year,” Jones said. “I don’t know how that [broken valve] happened. I used the motor a little more on pit road but not enough to hurt it.”
Three consecutive DNFs later and Jones is now 74 points below the cutline. While 11 races remain in the regular season, he is in must-win territory. A race worth of points couldn’t propel him into a playoff spot.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff Picture after Iowa Speedway
On the opposite end of the playoff picture as Brandon Jones is A.J. Allmendinger, who popped a tire on lap 35 and finished 37th. Allmendinger is now 60 points ahead of the cutline.
Parker Kligerman sits one spot below him +55 points to the cutline. Kligerman finished 11th but it could’ve been a top-10 finish.
Kligerman reportedly talked with 10th-place finisher Daniel Dye after the race. Dye appeared to bump Kligerman out of the groove, causing him to lose four spots late in the race.
Up front, Sammy Smith placed fifth in each stage and finished fourth, earning a season-high 45 points on the day. Smith is now 31 points ahead of Ryan Sieg and 54 points ahead of Anthony Alfredo.
Sieg started 15th and finished 12th after spending 160 of 253 laps inside the top-15. Alfredo started 19th and finished 15th after just 35 laps in the top-15.
In must-win territory now, Parker Retzlaff finished 32nd after a wire shorted and caught fire on lap 104
Brennan Poole blew an engine on lap 218 and finished 28th.
Retzlaff is 105 points below the cutline. Poole is 109 points back.
Next: New Hampshire Motor Speedway (June 22, 3:30 p.m. ET; USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com