After leading the series’ only practice session at Dover Motor Speedway, Brandon Jones has shown the field that he means business, as the Atlanta, Georgia-native put his No. 19 Menards / Pelonis Toyota GR Supra on the pole for Saturday’s A-Game 200.
Jones, who notched the pole-winning time on the first of two laps, put down a 22.872 (157.398) to capture his fourth career NASCAR Xfinity Series pole, and his second at the one-mile oval.
Sam Mayer led a trio of JR Motorsports drivers in positions two through four, with a time five-hundredths of a second slower than Jones’ pole-winning time. Noah Gragson clocked in third, with Josh Berry in fourth.
Ty Gibbs, who has secured a season-high three poles this season, will start in the fifth position on Saturday, alongside his fellow Monster Energy-sponsored driver Riley Herbst, who secured a sixth-place start.
Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, John Hunter Nemechek, and Anthony Alfredo completed the top-10 starters for Saturday’s 200-lap contest at “The Monster Mile”.
Just outside the top-10, Chandler Smith (12th) and Rajah Caruth (15th) both earned career-best starting positions, in just their second attempts in the second-tier series.
Ryan Ellis – driving the Alpha Prime Racing’s No. 45 — blew a tire entering the first corner on his second timed lap, but was able to keep the car in control and qualify in 28th.
Both Ryan Sieg and Brennan Poole were unable to post a time in the series’ qualifying session, after experiencing mechanical issues on their respective entries.
With 39 cars entered for Saturday’s A-Game 200, only Brennan Poole – driving the No. 47 for Mike Harmon Racing — will go home without getting to take the green flag for Saturday’s event.
