Brandon Jones had a perfect afternoon on Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leading both NASCAR Xfinity Series practice and then winning the pole for Saturday’s Ambetter Health 302.
Piloting the No. 9 Menards Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports, Jones posted a fast time of 29.439 seconds (183.430mph) in single-vehicle qualifying from the 1.5-mile intermediate facility located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It’s the fourth pole of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign for Jones, and the 12th of his career in the second-tier series. Saturday’s event will mark the 299th Xfinity Series start for the Atlanta, Georiga-native.
Defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer will start from the outside of the front row on Saturday, as he looks to become the first driver to secure themselves a position in the Championship 4.
Fellow Xfinity Series post-season drivers Chander Smith, Sam Mayer, and Sammy Smith completed the top five. Justin Allgaier was the slowest of the four JR Motorsports entries, in sixth.
Riley Herbst, the defending winner of the Fall event at Las Vegas, will start the race from seventh, with Jesse Love in eighth. AJ Allmendinger and Ryan Sieg completed the top-10.
STARTING LINEUP: Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas
Aric Almirola, driving the No. 20 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing, qualified 12th, a disappointing effort for an entry still in the Xfinity Series Owners Playoffs.
Austin Hill, driving the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing, was the only driver in the Xfinity Series Playoffs that failed to qualify inside the top-10 and will roll from 17th on Saturday.
Only 38 teams were entered for Saturday’s Xfinity Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, meaning everybody who posted a lap time, even the slowest driver, Akinori Ogata, will take the green flag.
Sheldon Creed will start from last place after Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed that the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra would have to make an engine change. Therefore, the team was not able to qualify and will start from the rear of the field.
