Date: June 29, 2018
Event: Overton’s 225 (Race 11 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location: Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. (1.5-mile oval)
Format: Three Segments; 35 laps/35 laps/80 laps
Start/Finish: 16th / 5th (running, completed 150 of 150 laps)
Winner: Brett Moffitt of Hattori Racing (Toyota)
Brandon Jones battled a triple-digit heat index and the handling of his No. 51 American Standard/Eljer/Menard’s Toyota most of the race Friday night at Chicagoland Speedway. With slight adjustments throughout the race, Jones rebounded from a 16th-place starting position to finish fifth.
Stage One Recap:
- Jones started 16th and said his Tundra was loose throughout much of the first 35-lap stage.
- He was 14th when Stage One ended on lap 35 and pitted for four tires and a track bar adjustment to tighten up his truck.
Stage Two Recap:
- Jones gained two positions in the pits to restart Stage Two in 12th.
- He was up to ninth by lap 50, but fell back to 12th by the time the second stage ended on lap 70.
- Jones pitted for four tires and air pressure adjustments to tighten up his Tundra on lap 73.
Stage Three Recap:
- Jones started the final 80-lap stage in eighth after another strong pit stop from his Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) team.
- A caution on lap 122 brought most drivers to pit road for their final stop of the night. Jones was still a bit loose, so crew chief Mike Hillman Jr., called for four tires and air pressure adjustments to finish the race.
- Jones was eighth with 25 laps to go. He was up to sixth with two laps remaining, but when John Hunter Nemechek ran out of fuel on the final lap, Jones was able to capture fifth place.
Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 51 American Standart/Eljer/Menards Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
How was your race?
“I think if we would have talked about it yesterday, I don’t think we would have been fifth in our minds so this was a phenomenal day. Everyone at KBM kept fighting on it and we were never out of it all day. We made some really good adjustments and didn’t have to do much, just a couple small air pressure changes and it would change it a lot. We played with that some all night and I think we would have been in contention to win there if that restart hadn’t happened because we got pretty loose on the top side. I look forward to my next one at Kentucky and looking forward to getting back into the TRD simulator next week.”
Overton’s 225 Recap:
- Brett Moffitt won his third race of the season followed by Ben Rhodes, Johnny Sauter, KBM’s Noah Gragson and Jones rounded out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured six cautions for a total of 29 laps. There were 17 lead changes among six drivers. KBM’s Noah Gragson led 42 laps.
How Jones’ KBM Teammates Fared:
- Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished 16th
- Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 4th
NCWTS Owner Championship Standings:
The No. 51 team is fourth in the Truck Series Owner’s Championship Standings, 98 points out of first.
Next Race:
Jones returns behind the wheel of the No. 51 Tundra when racing action resumes on Thursday, July 12 at Kentucky Speedway. Live coverage of the race begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
