After three years without victories, Jones wins at Darlington

Darlington Raceway witnessed Brandon Jones' return to victory lane this Saturday, April 5th. The driver of the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing took advantage of a restart with 12 laps to go to pass veteran Chase Elliott and end a winless drought that stretched back to April 2022.

Decisive battle in the closing laps

Jones, who led three times for a total of 24 laps, found his rhythm at just the right moment. Despite strong performance from Justin Allgaier, who dominated much of the race with 56 laps led, the Atlanta native used clean air in the final segment to maintain a 1.105-second advantage over Elliott.

The race at the historic 1.366-mile track proved less chaotic than the recent visit to Martinsville. Nine different leaders produced 14 lead changes, all through clean passes and strategic pit work.

JR Motorsports demonstrates team strength

The team owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Miller reaffirmed its strength by placing all five of its cars in the top 10. Allgaier led the group with his third-place finish, followed by Ross Chastain in fourth and rookie Carson Kvapil in fifth. Connor Zilisch finished sixth and Sammy Smith ninth to complete the organization's dominance.

Rookies impress at "The Track Too Tough to Tame"

The legendary Darlington circuit, known as "Too Tough To Tame", didn't intimidate the rookie drivers. Kvapil and Zilisch played prominent roles throughout the race, while Christian Eckes and Nick Sanchez finished seventh and eighth respectively. In total, five first-year drivers finished in the top ten.

"The practice and qualifying experience was crucial," Kvapil commented about adapting to the demanding track. "I studied a lot of race footage, but nothing compares to being on track and feeling how the grip changes as rubber builds up on the asphalt."

2025 Season: Championship contenders duel

Jones' victory comes at a crucial point in the championship. Allgaier continues to show consistency with six top 10s in the last seven races, including back-to-back wins at Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami in March.

Next week, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will hold its first spring race at Bristol since 2019, with the return of the Dash 4 Cash program. Austin Hill, Sheldon Creed, Allgaier and Brennan Poole will compete for the $100,000 bonus offered by the series' title sponsor.

The four drivers qualified for this opportunity based on their results last week at Martinsville, adding extra motivation for the upcoming event in Tennessee.