The NASCAR Xfinity Series rolled into Darlington with more than just throwback paint schemes on its mind. The tension in the garage was still thick from the chaos that unfolded last weekend at Martinsville. That race had left fans buzzing and teams bruised—especially after a dramatic final-lap tangle where Sammy Smith wrecked Taylor Gray in a wild bid for victory. The contact sent Gray spinning into the wall, tempers flaring.
All week long, that incident was the talk of the town. Drivers spoke about respect, or the lack thereof, and NASCAR fans argued online about where the line between hard racing and dirty driving sits. Heading into Darlington, the pressure was high. Everyone hoped for cleaner, harder, and more respectful racing. What they got was something even better—a heartfelt story of redemption, grit, and a long-awaited return to winning ways.
The garage needed a moment to reset the tone, and it got exactly that when Brandon Jones, after two years of frustration and struggle, finally found his way back to victory lane. Interestingly, it came after a hard-fought battle with Chase Elliott. Notably, Jones took control of the Sport Clips VFW Help a Hero 200 late and never looked back. On the final restart, he surged past Jeb Burton, who was skating on old tires, and took command of the race.
From there, Jones didn’t flinch. He held off two of the best drivers on the track, Elliott and Justin Allgaier, and drove away in the closing laps to seal the deal. The short run speed on No. 20 Toyota Camry was too hot for the competition as he surged his way up front to the lead with 12 laps to go in the race.
After climbing out of his car in Victory Lane, Jones was overwhelmed with emotions. “It’s a group effort. It’s not just me. I mean, I put loads and loads of time into being mentally tough to get through two tough years like I just came off of—and no wins, right? And to be able to come back and sit in the #20 car with my dad. I don’t think he’s ever been here for an experience, and he’s here this weekend for the first win that he gets to see, I think. So yeah, it’s just a lot of emotion,” he said.
Notably, it was a moment that had been building for a long time. Jones hadn’t won in 98 races, not since April 2022 at Martinsville. His stint with JR Motorsports had been rocky, with no wins and back-to-back playoff misses. But his return to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025 lit a fire. Now, back in familiar territory and behind the wheel of the No. 20, Jones finally looked like himself again. His Darlington triumph marked the sixth win of his Xfinity career and his second at this track.
Chase Elliott stole the spotlight!
Behind Brandon Jones, Chase Elliott stole the spotlight for other reasons. Despite starting from 8th place, Elliott faced some unwanted difficulties. After a clash with Ross Chastain, he got some damage on his No.17 Hendrick Motorsports car. Elliott, who was one of the top contenders at that time, was furious on team radio. However, he calmly started 35th after repairs and worked his way to second. It was one of those comeback tears that only he can deliver.
He charged through the field, dodged chaos, and had a legitimate shot at the win. Just 13 laps before the checkered flag, Elliott found himself in the top 5, and he took the bottom line for the restart. Jones also went for the same. Still, Elliott fought back to second. His drive was relentless. But even his late-race charge wasn’t enough to catch Jones, who simply had more speed when it counted most.
The 2020 Cup series champion was very satisfied with his performance. In a post-race interview, he said, “Had a great shot at it for sure. So proud of that. I wish we could have had one more spot, but nonetheless, it was a good, good run. Good to get back to second after everything that happened… Like I said, I couldn’t—I really don’t think I could ask much more out of the car. It was really, really good. These cars are obviously different than Cup car.”
Meanwhile, behind them, Justin Allgaier made some blistering moves. He had the dominant car for most of the afternoon. He won Stage 2 and led several laps, but a slow pit stop buried him in traffic late. Even so, he rallied to finish third, showing once again that he’s always a threat at Darlington. Notably, Ross Chastain finished fourth, while Carson Kvapil rounded out the top five.
Darlington Xfinity Race full results:
Position
Name
Car No
Team Name
1
Brandon Jones
No. 20
Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2
Chase Elliott
No. 17
Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
3
Justin Allgaier
No. 7
JR Motorsports Chevrolet
4
Ross Chastain
No. 9
JR Motorsports Chevrolet
5
Carson Kvapil
No. 1
JR Motorsports Chevrolet
6
Connor Zilisch
No. 88
JR Motorsports Chevrolet
7
Christian Eckes
No. 16
Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
8
Nick Sanchez
No. 48
Big Machine Racing Chevrolet
9
Sammy Smith
No. 8
JR Motorsports Chevrolet
10
Sheldon Creed
No. 00
Haas Factory Team Ford
11
Jesse Love
No. 2
Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
12
Ryan Sieg
No. 39
RSS Racing Ford
13
Harrison Burton
No. 25
AM Racing Ford
14
Sam Mayer
No. 41
Haas Factory Team Ford
15
Jeb Burton
No. 27
Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet
16
Austin Hill
No. 21
Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
17
Daniel Dye
No. 10
Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
18
Dean Thompson
No. 26
Sam Hunt Racing Toyota
19
Brennan Poole
No. 44
Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet
20
Parker Retzlaff
No. 4
Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet
21
Jeremy Clements
No. 51
Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet
22
Ryan Ellis
No. 71
DGM Racing Chevrolet
23
Matt DiBenedetto
No. 99
Viking Motorsports Chevrolet
24
Josh Bilicki
No. 91
DGM Racing Chevrolet
25
Christopher Bell
No. 19
Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
26
David Starr
No. 53
Joey Gase Motorsports Ford
27
Nick Leitz
No. 07
SS Green Light Racing Ford
28
Blaine Perkins
No. 31
Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet
29
Mason Massey
No. 45
Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet
30
Kyle Sieg
No. 28
RSS Racing Ford
31
Anthony Alfredo
No. 42
Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet
32
Garrett Smithley
No. 14
SS Green Light Racing Chevrolet
33
Taylor Gray
No. 54
Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
34
Greg Van Alst
No. 35
Joey Gase Motorsports Chevrolet
35
William Sawalich
No. 18
Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
36
Josh Williams
No. 11
Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
37
Leland Honeyman
No. 70
Cope Family Racing Chevrolet
38
Kris Wright
No. 5
Our Motorsports Chevrolet
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