Brandon Jones’ Eyes Are Set On Michigan

Date:  June 8, 2019

Location:  Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn

Layout:  2-mile oval

● The LTi Printing 250 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn is the 13th event of the 33-race NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule and the third with Brandon Jones sporting the 1st Foundation livery on the No. 19 Toyota Supra.

● Jones has two top-10 results in three career Xfinity Series starts at Michigan, with a best finish of ninth in the 2017 Irish Hills 250.

● In 12 Xfinity Series races this season, Jones has two top-fives and six top-10s. The 22-year-old driver began the year with a third-place finish at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, his best result so far in 2019.

● Jones has three career ARCA Series starts at Michigan and he proved quick in each, winning two poles and two races.

● Jones won the pole for last year’s ARCA race at Michigan with a lap of 37.532 seconds at 191.836 mph, beating next-best Sheldon Creed by .209 of a second. It was Jones’ second straight ARCA pole at Michigan.

● Jones won the 2017 ARCA race at Michigan from the pole. Jones scored the pole with a lap of 37.759 seconds at 190.683 mph, besting second-place Vinnie Miller by just .001 of a second. Jones then proceeded to lead three times for 23 laps, including the final seven, to take the victory by a whopping 20.883 seconds.

● Jones’ first appearance in an ARCA race at Michigan was a strong one. He qualified fourth and promptly led led three times for a race-high 51 laps, including the final four, to take the checkered flag by 6.557 seconds over Chase Briscoe, who Jones now competes with regularly in the Xfinity Series. It was Jones’ third career ARCA win and it came in just his 15th start.

● Jones made his Xfinity Series debut on May 17, 2015 at Iowa Speedway in Newton where he started fifth and finished eighth. Now in his fourth full-time Xfinity Series season, the Atlanta-native has five top-fives, 40 top-10s, two poles and 287 laps led in 116 career starts.

● The 1st Foundation has established a text-to-donate program, making it easier than ever for fans to show their support for the heroes arriving first on the scene in both foreign and domestic conflict. To donate, text “1st” to 44-321.

● The 1st Foundation is a 100-percent volunteer organization that works with Special Operations Forces and Law Enforcement Operations to administer grants for continuing education, specialized equipment, and training for those in need. The non-profit also helps with medical bills and access to PTSD programs, as well as college scholarships to those operators and their families in need of assistance through their Gold Star Family Programs. 1st Foundation board members cover all administrative costs, allowing every dollar donated to be utilized for its core mission.

Having had success at Michigan in the past in both the Xfinity Series and ARCA Menards Series, is this a race that you look forward to running each year?

“Despite having a couple tough weekends, I have my eyes set on Michigan. We’ve won back-to-back races in the ARCA Menards Series there, and as a result, I’ve really taken a liking to the track over the years. It’s been a place where we’ve been able to turn our luck around, and I think that’s what it’s going to do for our No. 19 1st Foundation team this weekend. Michigan produces some really fun racing and wild restarts. The racing surface is so wide that you’re able to be four or five wide during the race; it’s very reminiscent to what you see going down the front stretch at Pocono. NASCAR has changed up our aero package from what we ran last year, so while I’m doing my studying and watching old race tape, I’m going to have to go back a few years to try to see something comparable to what we can expect this weekend.”

●  1st Foundation is a 100-percent volunteer organization whose board members cover administrative costs, allowing every dollar donated to be utilized for its core mission – providing assistance to those arriving first on the scene in foreign and domestic conflict. Working with Special Operations Forces and Law Enforcement Operations, the 1st Foundation administers grants for continuing education, specialized equipment, and training for those in need. The non-profit also helps with medical bills and access to PTSD programs, as well as college scholarships to those operators and their families in need of assistance through their Gold Star Family Programs. The 1st Foundation also ensures our K9 heroes are rewarded for their service and dedication by placing retired military dogs requiring rehabilitation with veterans in need of companionship, helping both reacclimate to civilian life. The 1st Foundation also supplies service dogs to veterans in need, all of which are trained to Veteran Affairs standards. Lastly, 1st Foundation provides K9s to police departments, ultimately making our communities a safer place. To assist the cause of 1st Foundation, please visit 1stfoundation.com/donate. Residents of Alabama can go a step further by purchasing a specialized 1st Foundation license plate for their personal vehicles through the Alabama Department of Revenue’s website.

●  Xtreme Concepts Inc., is a worldwide leader in providing turnkey security solutions, training and technology integration to U.S. government, military and commercial clients on a global scale. Xtreme Concepts’ mission is to provide elite military units with a hyper-realistic environment, allowing them to train to their full mission profile with a facility that is able to replicate an unmatched variety of real-world scenarios. This Alabama-based facility is a world-class training site spanning more than 1,500 acres with 3 million square-feet of indoor training space, 31 buildings, 3.5 miles of internal roadways, and more areas equipped for training. Experience is the hallmark and strength of Xtreme Concepts, best exemplified by its motto: “Who we are, Where we’ve been and What we’ve done.” With access to the National Mission Force (NMF) and the Special Missions Units (SMU) of the U.S. military, Xtreme Concepts is the benchmark in the multi-faceted security arena. Xtreme Concepts’ stable of experts has served honorably with these elite units for more than a decade, and because its staff maintains deep ties to the NMF and SMU, clients benefit from immediate access to Xtreme Concepts’ collective experience.