Jones Gave Toyota Its 500th NASCAR Win
Brandon Jones, back when real-life racing was still something that happened, celebrated his second career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at the Phoenix Raceway, behind the wheel of the Supra race car. It also marked Toyota’s 500th NASCAR national series win.
Jones led a 1-2-3 finish or Joe Gibbs Racing, finishing ahead of Harrison Burton — the previous week’s winner — and Kyle Busch. It’s JGR’s first podium sweep of the season, but those watching the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020 probably saw it coming.
After just four of 33 races, Toyota is currently in the manufacturer’s championship lead with two victories, and rookie driver Burton in the drivers’ championship lead with three podium finishes under his belt. Jones’ win fast-tracked him to fourth place in the standings.
“I cannot believe he left the door open. We were so strong on that top lane,” said Jones. “Toyota is the manufacturer to be with — I love these guys so much. It’s like a family working with them. Coach Gibbs is great. We had Turtle Wax and Menards — is so big for us. They sponsor us so much and we are going to get big results because of it.”
Toyota Performance: Check out the GR Supra sports car
Toyota is now at 144 wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, 164 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and 192 wins in the NASCAR Truck Series, adding up to 500 wins overall in NASCAR’s top three national series.
A total of 48 different drivers contributed to these 500 wins, though Kyle Busch was at the wheel for 188 of them. Joe Gibbs Racing can also claim 277 of them.
The day after Jones’ win, Busch scored a third-place finish in the NASCAR Cup Series. Other Toyota drivers including Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones, and Martin Truex Jr had all spent time running inside the top 10 but were involved in incidents that prevented them from scoring significant points.
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Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.