Brandon Jones wasn’t focused on revenge after the Ty Gibbs wreck

Ty Gibbs smashed teammate Brandon Jones at Martinsville Speedway so he could win the race. This missed an opportunity for Jones to reach the fourth championship, but he’s not focused on revenge heading into the end of the Xfinity Series season.

Jones met members of the media after finishing 23rd in the cut-off, but declined to go entirely after teammate Joe Gibbs Racing. Instead, he detailed what he’ll focus on when he climbs to the Toyota GR Supra #19 for the last time on November 5.

“My goal is to win the race. I can’t sit here and think, ‘I have to ruin Ty Gibbs’ day in Phoenix,’” Jones told members of the media after the race. “I have to think about how I can win Phoenix, and that will give me as much momentum as possible. Next year – which I really feel – and I have a really good chance of winning six times the races I did this year, I think. It will definitely be good.”

Jones continued and added another reason why he wasn’t focused on revenge. He explained that Gibbs “made a lot of enemies” with his aggressive driving style. “In the end, she’ll take care of herself,” he said.

Jones just “wanted a chance” in Martinsville

GTBrandon Jones almost secured his second win of the season.

The driver of car number 19 indicated that he used his bumper several times during the race. He called Gibbs, including nearly nine laps left. However, Jones explained that he shocked his teammate. He did not destroy it.

As Jones explained, he just wanted a chance to fight for the win. He noted that he was fine with Gibbs who shocked him, as long as they still had a chance to fight each other for the win. Sending them to the wall took away that opportunity.

“Second place, last place, it just didn’t matter to us today,” Jones said. “We had to win the race. That part of it is what it is, but I would have liked at least to have the chance to race against him and try to put him out.”

Now, Gibbs will be fighting for a championship with three members of JR Motorsports. Jones will be ending his tenure with JGR at Phoenix Raceway, and will try to secure his sixth win of his career at a circuit he previously celebrated at Victory Lane.

Jones previously focused on respect rather than wins

GTBrandon Jones (top) did not smash Noah Gregson (bottom) in Bristol.

The trip to Martinsville Speedway isn’t the first time Jones has come close to winning on a short track during the 2022 season. He captured the Martinsville spring race after sending Sam Mayer Gibbs onto the track. Jones also avoided destroying Noah Gregson during a different race.

Back on September 16, Gregson and Jones struggled for victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. There were multiple opportunities for the #19 driver to move the #9 driver, but he chose to take the second place finish. Fast forward to October 29, and Jones explained why he used this strategy.

“I mean, I ran after Noah this year in Bristol,” Jones said. “Everyone was mad at me for not smashing Noah in there, but it was a more respectful thing. I wanted to get to his left ass and give him a chance to win the race. I felt better about that than doing something like [Gibbs’ move]. “