Jones secures spot in Round of 8 with victory at Kansas Speedway NASCAR Xfinity

Brandon Jones won Saturday's Kansas Lottery 300 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series from the pole position, securing his spot in the Round of 8 of the Playoffs with his second victory of the season. Jones took the lead on lap 163 and held off pressure from Connor Zilisch over the final 38 laps under green flag conditions.

Jones now has three wins at Kansas Speedway, more than any other active driver at the 1.5-mile oval. With this win, Jones joins Zilisch and Justin Allgaier as the first three drivers qualified for the Round of 8.

Photo By Nascar Media

Perfect Performance from the Pole Position

"That was exactly how we needed it to go," stated Jones after the race. "Two really solid stages, no mistakes. The whole day was very well executed. This is probably by far the best executed race of my career."

Jones led 54 of the 200 total laps and finished second in the first two stages. His #20 team executed a flawless strategy that allowed him to maintain control when it mattered most.

"I'm really proud of these guys on my #20 team at Joe Gibbs Racing," Jones added. "We worked really hard all week to come here and put together a race like this."

Allgaier Loses Win Due to Tire Gamble

Justin Allgaier dominated much of the race, winning the first two stages and leading more laps than any other driver (79), but a decision on the fourth and final caution cost him the victory. Allgaier and Sam Mayer stayed on track with 15-lap old tires, betting on another caution flag that never came.

"They work for you sometimes, they don't work other times," Allgaier commented about the call by his crew chief Jim Pohlman. "Disappointed... our #7 Chevrolet from JR Motorsports was really good."

The gamble didn't pay off. Allgaier finished 13th and Mayer was 16th. However, Allgaier advanced to the Round of 8 on points thanks to his performance in the early stages.

Photo By Nascar Media

Zilisch Breaks Sam Ard's 1983 Record

Connor Zilisch achieved his 16th consecutive top 5 finish, breaking the tie with Sam Ard (1983) to set a new NASCAR Xfinity Series record. Zilisch finished second despite admitting that his #88 Chevrolet didn't feel capable of winning.

"I didn't feel like our car was capable of winning, except at one point there in stage three, I thought we had a chance," said Zilisch, who led 42 laps. "We'll go back and look at it and see what we could have done better. We were just throwing Hail Mary passes all day trying to make one stick, but it didn't stick."

Round of 8 Qualification to be Decided at Charlotte

Austin Hill finished third, followed by other Playoff drivers: Sammy Smith, Sheldon Creed, Taylor Gray, Jesse Love, and Nick Sanchez. The final race of the Round of 12 will be next Saturday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

Jesse Love, currently the last driver above the elimination line, leads Sanchez by five points, Hill by seven, Harrison Burton by eight, and Smith by 14. Burton finished 20th on Saturday after starting from the rear due to a penalty.

Photo By Nascar Media

Sam Mayer holds a 38-point lead as the highest ranked driver among those not yet locked into the Round of 8. Contact from the #48 Chevrolet of Sanchez took the #19 Toyota of Justin Bonsignore out of the race in 37th place, leaving that car nine points below the elimination line in the owner standings.

Next Saturday's Blue Cross NC 250 on October 4th (5 p.m. ET, CW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will decide the final spots in the Round of 8 in what promises to be an intense battle on Charlotte's hybrid course.

Kansas Lottery 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results

Kansas Speedway - Kansas City, Kansas - Saturday, September 27, 2025