NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Overview
Event: Digital Ally 250 (Race 7 of 23), 167 Laps – 40/40/87; 250.5 Miles
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. (1.5-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: May 10, 2019 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
What You Need to Know
- Brandon Jones returns to the No. 51 Chigo / Menards Toyota Tundra this weekend at Kansas Speedway for the Digital Ally 250. Jones will be behind the wheel of the No. 51 for three additional Gander Trucks races, Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky., and ISM Raceway in Phoenix, Ariz.
- In his last outing, last weekend at Dover International Speedway, Jones qualified 19th and brought home a 13th place finish.
- The 22-year-old driver has 41 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races under his belt, with three runner-up, 10 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes.
- At Kansas, the Georgia driver has four Gander Trucks starts with one top-10 finish. Jones has recorded three starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and two ARCA Racing Series starts at Kansas.
- Veteran crew chief Rudy Fugle leads the 51 team this season. Fugle has guided his team to four Owner’s Championships (2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017) as a crew chief at KBM, including combined Owner’s/Driver’s Championships with Erik Jones in 2015 and Christopher Bell in 2017. The New York native’s drivers have combined for 26 wins, 22 poles, 60 top-five and 94 top-10 finishes across his 118 races calling the shots for the organization. Fugle has two wins in six races at Kansas, one in 2016 with William Byron and one in 2018 with Noah Gragson.
- After six races, the No. 51 team leads the owner’s points standings by 39 markers over second place. The team has earned four wins with owner-driver Kyle Busch behind the wheel, and has two poles, four top-five and four top-10 finishes.
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Brandon Jones, Driver Q&A
What are you looking forward to heading into Kansas this weekend?
“After getting back into the swing of things in Dover, I’m looking forward to racing at a mile and a half track. The intermediate racing seems to fit my driving style, and to know that I’m going there in a KBM Tundra is an extra boost of confidence. Kansas typically becomes a multi-groove track in the race, so I’m expecting a lot of passing and good, competitive racing this weekend. The Truck Series races are shorter than the XFINITY races that I’ve gotten accustomed to over the last few years, so it’s really important to come out the gate strong and keep up the momentum the entire race. I’m looking forward to another solid run in our Chigo Tundra and racing for the win in Kansas.”
Brandon Jones Career Highlights
- Jones has made six total NGOTS starts for KBM, recording three top-five and four top-10 finishes.
- Overall since making his Gander Trucks debut in August of 2013, Jones has recorded three runner-up, 10 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes across 41 starts.
- The Georgia native – who is also competing for the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) championship with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) – has registered two poles, five top-five and 39 top-10 finishes across 114 career Xfinity Series starts.
- Additionally, the 22-year-old driver has collected five career ARCA Racing Series victories, including last year at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, and one NASCAR K&N Pro Series win (Iowa Speedway, 2014).
Brandon Jones’ No. 51 Chigo / Menards Tundra:
KBM-055: The No. 51 Chigo / Menards team has prepared chassis KBM-055 for Friday’s Digital Ally 250 at Kansas Speedway. This chassis has three outings with two wins, both this season with owner-driver Kyle Busch behind the wheel, at Atlanta and Texas.
KBM Notes of Interest
- KBM drivers have recorded four wins, four poles, 597 laps led, nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.7 across 21 starts at Kansas Speedway.
- Owner-driver Kyle Busch earned the first KBM victory at Kansas Speedway in 2014, and KBM drivers have won the last three Gander Trucks contests at the 1.5-mile oval, William Byron in 2016, Busch in 2017 and Noah Gragson in 2018.
- KBM holds the Gander Truck Series records for most career wins (72) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). In addition to collecting a series-record six Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers; Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
