The start of the ToyotaCare 250 race at Richmond Raceway has been marred by early mechanical failures. After Ryan Vargas suffered the first blow of the day, JR Motorsports driver Brandon Jones suffered a similar fate during Lap No. 42. After the restart, Jones coming off the turn was unable to turn and slid across the racetrack, emitting smoke. Unable to control his car, he spun right into the wall and this incident flagged off the second caution of the race.

Damage on Jones’s No.9 was a brutal one, thus leaving him with no option but to step out of the race. The fluids from the crash were spilled all across the racetrack and thus officials had to put out a lengthy caution. The race was back again to green on Lap no 56. Parker Retzlaff who seemed to have started off pretty strong was passed on by the likes of Aric Almirola and Corey Heim.

Brandon Jones is confident in his car and team despite the unfortunate end at Richmond

Jones was looking to overturn his fortunes for good during the race at Richmond Raceway. Despite him being winless at the venue in 13 starts in Xfinity, he was hoping for a solid finish or a top-10 result. However, a faulty race car engine cut his day short and just washed away all his hopes for what could have been a productive race.

Despite the unfortunate turn of events, Jones is looking forward to his next challenges, given how good his race car has been since the start of the season. “Dang it, started second right, had a really good day going, kind of rough weekend at COTA; this one’s tough, but we’ll keep rebounding and speeds there so we don’t have to do nothing crazy,” he said via Frontstretch.

It wasn’t just a normal engine bust, but his car spilled out fluids and possible fuel while sliding across the racetrack. The leaked fluids also caught Ryan Seig, who lost grip on his car’s tires due to the treacherous racing surface. Owing to the spill on the track, NASCAR had to extend the caution further during stage 1. Earlier, Ryan Vargas also had issues with his race and had to make an early exit after losing out on power and brakes early during the race.

Wrecks, DNFs, and bitter endings are part of racing in NASCAR, but given the start Jones has had since the start of the season, he is likely to make a comeback soon.

Jones will look to build on his strong start to the season

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Brandon Jones and his #9 team were unable to make it to the playoffs last season. Without any wins and consistent runs, the driver finished 14th in the championship standings. However, with the turn of the new season, he is very much delivering the goods.

Out of the first four races of the season, he has managed three top-10 finishes. He was quickly climbing up the driver’s standings and was looking to add more points to his tally. However, at COTA, the track limit penalties hounded him and snatched away his stage 2 win and the precious points. Despite the missed opportunities and penalties, after five starts, he sits in the number nine position in the driver’s standing.

While today’s DNF is going to cost him some more points and possibly a dip in positions, he and his team have all the tools to mount a comeback.

Chandler Smith Overshadows Dejected Aric Almirola at Richmond Amidst JGR’s Dominant 1-2-3 Xfinity Finish