Brandon Jones – No. 19 Menards/Pelonis Toyota Supra Race Advance – Bristol Motor Speedway (NXS)

Brandon Jones – No. 19 Menards/Pelonis Toyota Supra Race Advance – Bristol Motor Speedway (NXS)

No. 19 Menards / PELONIS Toyota Supra News and Notes:

  • NASCAR UPDATE:  Due to travel and setup challenges, NASCAR announced that the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Cheddar’s 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway has been moved to Monday, June 1 at 7 p.m. ET.

  • IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Jones and the 19 Menards/Pelonis team head to the last great colosseum, Bristol Motor Speedway. This will be Jones’ 10th NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) career-start on the 0.533-mile high-banked concrete oval. Jones is locked into the playoffs. He is coming off a strong run at Charlotte and Bristol is one of his strongest tracks. The team has had a couple of tough finishes in the first two races after the 10 week hiatus, but they have had a very strong Toyota Supra and they are focused on getting back to their early season form and are very motivated, confident and are focused on getting back in victory lane.  Bristol is the perfect track to make it happen.

  • XFINITY TO  SALUTE EMPLOYEE HEROS: On Monday, June 1 during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Xfinity will salute a variety of military veteran frontline employees for their efforts in response to the crisis, including 23 employees across the company that are actively serving on the frontlines in the National Guard and reserve to keep communities safe and connected. These employee names will replace the Xfinity logo that typically adorns the windshield headers of each race car and be featured in a special patriotic red, white and blue design that showcases the support Xfinity provides to military veteran employees that are holding true to the company’s core service values.

  • “Our 19 team is honored to have Freddy Canales riding along with us at Bristol,” stated Brandon Jones. “He works for Xfinity and is actively serving in response to the pandemic through the Army National Guard.”

  • JGR AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY: JGR has 99 total starts at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NXS, earning 13 wins, 32 top-five finishes, 47 top-10 finishes and 10 pole-starting positions. The team has led 3,177 laps and earned an average start of 11.2 and an average finish of 14.5.

  • RACE INFO: Cheddar’s 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile) begins at 7:00 p.m.ET on Monday, June 1, 2020.  The race will be broadcast live on FS1, SiriusXM Channel 90 and PRN Radio.

 

 

Jones’ Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway:

StartsWinsTop 5Top 10PolesLaps LedAvg. StartAvg. Finish
9002013610.114.8

 

Jones’ 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:

StartsWinsTop 5Top 10PolesLaps LedAvg. StartAvg. Finish
61231975.714.7

 

Jones’ Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:

StartsWinsTop 5Top 10PolesLaps LedAvg. StartAvg. Finish
14321153343712.615.8

 

 

From the Cockpit:

Brandon Jones: “We had a very strong Toyota at Charlotte Motor Speedway this past Monday. We certainly had a winning car but unfortunately were presented with a few challenges that prevented us from having the strong finish we were capable of having. Now it’s time to respond with a strong showing this weekend at Bristol.  I am really looking forward to racing on one of my favorite tracks.  It’s a unique short track with a concrete surface and very steep banking that can reach high speeds.  Bristol is one of my best tracks where I have a lot of confidence and have led several laps there, with multiple close wins.  I have had this race circled on my calendar all year. As drivers we are constantly weaving in and out to avoid lap traffic and competitors which I know makes for a good race to watch for fans. The track is constantly changing as rubber builds up. Lines will be alternating and trying to be the first to figure out which lane is the fastest will be a challenge; but a challenge we are highly capable of. Our team keeps bringing fast cars and everyone on the team is working extremely hard.  There is no better track to be going to this weekend and our Menards team is very motivated.

TRD has done a great job recreating the track on their simulator all the way down to the traction compound that gets put down on the surface. This week I put in another great amount of work and effort between the simulator, training and getting myself prepared for Bristol. Our No. 19 team will have Menards and Pelonis back on our Supra. We are focused on giving it a fight and getting our team back in victory lane to give Menards the strong finish that they deserve.”

About Menards:  A family owned company started in 1958, Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, WI.  Menards has more than 300 retail stores located throughout the Midwest in the states of IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI and WY.  Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader.  It’s famous slogan “Save Big Money at Menards” is widely known and easy to remember.  For more information, visit Menards.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.

Brandon Jones – No. 19 Menards/Pelonis Toyota Supra Race Advance – Bristol Motor Speedway (NXS) Read More

Wood Bros. Racing: Wednesday Night Racing at Charlotte

Wood Bros. Racing:  Wednesday Night Racing at Charlotte

After the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Richmond team are ready for a fresh start back at Charlotte in Wednesday night’s 500-kilometer race.

“I feel good going into Wednesday,” DiBenedetto said. “We’re starting fourth, and racing the primary car, so that’s good.”

The line-up for Wednesday’s race was set by inverting the finish of the Coca-Cola 600, where DiBenedetto finished 17th. The top 20 finishing positions from Sunday were inverted, and the remainder of the field will start Wednesday’s race from where they finished the 600.

On Sunday at Charlotte, DiBenedetto bounced off the wall in qualifying and had to race a back-up Ford Mustang in the 600. “It was a messy race,” he said. “The car was way looser than expected in qualifying. We took the back-up and had to work on it a lot, but we fought from really struggling to an easy top-10 car.”

He said he expects Wednesday to go much smoother for him and the Menards/Richmond team. “The car has plenty of speed, so I feel much better about the race,” he said.

DiBenedetto said racing again after just two off days, and running four races in 11 days, has caused him to modify his weekly routine.

“I’m backing off my training a good bit,” he said, explaining that he’s giving his body time to recover between races. “Racing puts a lot of strain on you, but I’m still working out three or four days a week.”

There will be no practice or qualifying for the 312-mile Alsco 500k, and the green flag is set to fly just after 8 p.m. on Wednesday with TV coverage on Fox Sport One.

Wood Bros. Racing: Wednesday Night Racing at Charlotte Read More