JONES SEASON-BEST SECOND IN DARLINGTON
Brandon Jones and Christopher Bell give Joe Gibbs Racing two of the top-three
DARLINGTON, SC (March 21, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones (second) and Christopher Bell (third) delivered podium finishes to lead Toyota in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Darlington Raceway on Saturday evening.
For Jones, it is a season-best finish. Bell, who is completing his first triple-header weekend, has now finished top-six in both of his first two starts.
TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS)
Darlington Raceway
Race 6 of 33 – 200.8 miles, 147 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Justin Allgaier*
2nd, BRANDON JONES
3rd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
4th, Kyle Larson*
5th, Carson Kvapil*
15th, TAYLOR GRAY
17th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
21st, DEAN THOMPSON
22nd, HARRISON BURTON
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
BRANDON JONES, No. 20 Menards/Pelonis Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
What else did you need there in the last stretch to get another Darlington win?
“We watched the Truck race, and even this race, we felt like the bottom lane all day was kind of the dominate place to be on restarts. Both lanes, you really couldn’t get much help, we were all wheel spinning I think and just trying to make as much grip as we could. The 7 (Justin Allgaier) just kept getting just barely better launches than I could on that second lane, and he had just a little more juice in the tank on the short run today. We were matching, if not slightly better on the long run, but just ran out of laps there at the end, but this is what we needed with the 20 group. That’s the 20’s team mentality – getting better in the races, and staying in contention to have a shot. That is all I can ask for. I think this is how you are going to see our season change, and this is how you begin to start winning races again – is running up front like we did. To beat two of the very best here, Justin (Allgaier) is one of the best here – we are going against some really heavy hitters. I’m proud of that effort. Really big points day as well to tack on it. Pelonis, Barracuda Pumps, Menards, Toyota – we always thank them for their support. I look forward to the next couple of weeks.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 19 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
Top-five car all day and finished in third. How was your race?
“Yeah, we definitely lost the handle of it in stage two and fell back. We had a couple of good pit stops, and good adjustments that got us back up to the front. It just felt like we were on the wrong side of the track. Really loose in the day light, and then really tight when it got shaded up. I don’t know. It was a lot of fun out there. I’m really happy to Sport Clips Supra home third. I know that’s not what they are looking for, but got a good finish out of it.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
