Brandon Jones and his No. 33 Rheem team made the long trek west to compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (NKNPSW) series finale at Phoenix International Raceway. Starting from the 15th spot for the Casino Arizona 50, Jones received damage on the opening lap when the field failed to get a clean start. After multiple trips to pit road for repairs, Jones fought hard to get back onto the lead lap. Jones received the free pass and returned to the lead lap when the yellow flag was displayed on lap 27. With an 18-lap shootout to the end, Jones fought tooth and nail to bring his battered Rheem Chevrolet home in the 17th position.
The NKNPSW was given two practice sessions throughout the weekend, and Jones proved that he was going to be a contender for his first victory in the K&N series. During the first practice session, Jones used a portion of the time to get accustomed to the 1.0-mile tri-oval and ended up seventh on the charts. During the final practice session, Jones tuned his car in for the race and posted the third-best time in final practice. On the initial start of the 50-lap race, the field got bunched up, causing many cars to come into contact and halting the race. After receiving damage, Jones hit pit road for repairs. Following a 30-minute red-flag period, the race got back underway with Jones scored in the 27th position, one lap down. With the leader checking out from the rest of the field, the race would go green until the second yellow was displayed on lap 27. Jones received the free pass and was once again scored on the lead lap. Before going back to green, Jones brought his No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet back down pit road for more repairs to his Impala. Jones was in 23rd position when the field restarted on lap 32. With 18 laps to go, he was able to get around a number of competitors and bring home a 17th-place finish.
“It’s very disappointing that we got caught up in the opening-lap mess,” said Jones. “We had a very fast Rheem Chevrolet all weekend, and it’s the not the result we were looking for. Still, I can’t thank my team enough for repairing the car to get us back out there and give us an opportunity. Even though we didn’t get the finish we were looking for, I think we were able to gain some experience for our efforts next year.”
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