Brandon Jones' NASCAR career stuck in neutral at JR Motorsports

For most drivers in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, an opportunity to drive for Dale Earnhardt Jr can be a big break or even revitalize a career. In the case of Brandon Jones, however, it's taken him from a potential prospect to a driver who is nowhere close to being on the radar of Cup Series organizations. 

At the end of 2022, Jones was driving better than he ever had to that point in his career. While he had shown flashes of brilliance in years prior, he drove the race of his life at Martinsville in October, winning the pole and leading 98 laps. Knowing he would advance to the Xfinity Series championship race with a win, it seemed Jones was about to make a huge statement before Ty Gibbs wrecked him on the final lap in a controversial move. To make matters worse, Gibbs had already clinched a spot in the championship race at Phoenix, making his win at Martinsville meaningless in the grand scheme of things. 

Two years later, it seems like that one fall afternoon in Martinsville, Virginia, snipped the string of momentum Jones was riding. 

While Jones' tenure with JGR ended on a sour note, he had shown enough talent and brought enough sponsor money to be tabbed as the newest addition to JR Motorsports, a powerhouse Xfinity Series team owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. On paper, the pairing seemed like a match made in heaven.

In practice, however, the pairing has turned out to be a disaster. While Jones hasn't been outrageously slow, he missed the playoffs in 2023, the first time he had failed to be a part of the Xfinity Series' postseason since 2017. A 14th-place points finish was better than where the No. 9 team was at certain points of the year, but one thing was clear - a similar performance in 2024 could spell the end of a short tenure at JRM for Jones. 

Through 17 races this season, Jones hasn't done much to right the ship, as he and the No. 9 team currently sit 15th in the points standings, 74 markers outside the postseason cutoff. 

Once as high as ninth in the standings, Jones has free-fallen through the points, losing five spots over the course of four weeks. Over the last three races, Jones has earned a total of three points, with crashes at Portland and Sonoma and an engine failure at Iowa all ending his day prematurely. 

While two engine failures make it clear not all of the team's struggles can be placed on Jones, it's not like he is contending for wins. Jones' only top-five of the season came at Charlotte, but it serves as the only example of race-winning speed shown by a team scuffling for every inch. 

Between teammates Justin Allgaier and Sam Mayer, JR Motorsports has won three races this season and with Sammy Smith currently sitting 31 points above the cutline in 12th, the pressure is on for Jones to turn up the wick.

At 27 years old, Jones' window to make it to the Cup Series is running out with every mediocre run he puts together. While it would take a barrage of consistent runs and wins for the No. 9 team to be considered a true championship contender, the final 18 races of the Xfinity Series season are likely being considered an audition for Jones, who may become a free agent at the end of the season. 

With Jones' middling performance at JR Motorsports, however, the question has to be asked: Will anyone pick up the phone?