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Xfinity Series Spotlight: Q&A with Brandon Jones

NASCAR XFINITY Series DC Solar 200 - Practice

AVONDALE, AZ - MARCH 17: Brandon Jones, driver of the #33 Chevrolet Truck Month Chevrolet, stands in the garage during practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series DC Solar 200 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 17, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

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Wednesdays were an important part of the week for Brandon Jones.

That was the day the Atlanta native and some high school friends would leave school and head to Braselton, Georgia, home of Lanier Raceplex.

“We thought we were ready to race,” Jones told NBC Sports of one of his early racing memories. “The first ever race was me and two other guys out there on a little short track racing. ... I ran around this guy forever. Didn’t pass him, didn’t hit him. Just ran really conservative. I wanted to pass him, but I just couldn’t figure out how to do it.”

He’d figure it out, but years later, Jones would find himself in similar positions. In 2016, Jones competed in his rookie campaign in the Xfinity Series driving the No. 33 for Richard Childress Racing. It was his first full-time season in any NASCAR series.

“I caught myself doing a lot of things, like putting myself in a lot of small holes that I normally wouldn’t have taken,” Jones said of his rookie season. “That became a habit as I was racing with those guys that have more experience. I didn’t even know I was doing it and then I was looking back, ‘Holy crap, I didn’t even know I could do that.’ Seeing how far I could take myself. I found some limits.”

In February, Jones took some of the lessons and put them toward earning the pole for the Xfinity Series opener at Daytona International Speedway. It was his first pole in 69 NASCAR starts.

This Q&A has been edited and condensed.

NBC Sports: If you were in the Cup night race at Bristol, what would be your introduction song?

Jones: Man, I have put a lot of thought into this, too. Probably “House of the Rising Sun” by Five Finger Death Punch.

NBC Sports: Why a cover of the original?

Jones: They kind of took old school, western themes at the beginning and I kind of like that style now. Outlaw, western stuff like that. The cowboy-type stuff, I enjoy it. I don’t like the middle part though. I’m not a heavy metal death fan. I love country music, they kind of flipped flopped on it.

NBC Sports: What was your first car?

Jones: My first car was a Dodge Ram pickup truck. I ended up later, after I moved up here to North Carolina, meeting a buddy through racing. We ended up lifting it up and putting a big motor in it and stuff. That turned into not a daily driver.

NBC Sports: Have you ever named a car, whether it be a race car or street car?

Jones: My big red Dodge, everyone called it “Clifford” in high school.

NBC Sports: What’s on your bucket list that’s not related to racing?

Jones: Probably going up in one of the F-16 fighter jets, something like that. I enjoy doing things with the military, I’ve gone out and trained with them before and I’ve done obstacle courses and done a lot of cool stuff with them. Flying in one of the jets is something I haven’t done. ... That’s next on the list.

NBC Sports: What’s the best race you’ve ever seen in person?

Jones: It probably wasn’t the best race I’ve ever seen, but it was the most exciting for me. It was Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) a long time ago, my very first race ever that I went to. I was pretty young, this was probably in 2009 or so. I was just overwhelmed by the racing. I went to driver intros and all that stuff. I made the ultimate fan day out of it.

NBC Sports: What do you remember about the first time you met Richard Childress?

Jones: It was the same day I think. Looking back on it it’s crazy that I knew him so young ... I met the Dillon boys. They were (about) 13 and up in one of his suites playing video games and stuff and not even caring about the race. It was pretty funny. It’s cool to see how we all work together now. Just a small world type deal.

NBC Sports: Growing up, who was your favorite NASCAR driver?

Jones: It was whoever won the previous week. I didn’t have a clue ... about driver personalities or anything. Every week it was like ‘Oh man, Jimmie Johnson was the winner that week, so he’s going to win next week.’ I bounced back and forth between a lot of them. But I did have a lot of Jimmie Johnson gear. I had the jacket and the necklace and an action figure.

NBC Sports: You had a Jimmie Johnson action figure?

Jones: I did, yeah. It was kind of like a stationary one. It was on a platform.

NBC Sports: What would be your dream concert?

Jones: I just knocked Granger Smith off my bucket list, and he’s probably my favorite country music singer. ... He’s got a couple of songs that are just starting to take off, like top five on the country music charts. We actually arranged to hang out with him before the concert, so we got to see him before he went on stage. The only thing I want to see now, and I think we’re going to in Charlotte, is (Granger Smith at the Circle K) Speed Street (Festival). ... When we saw him he didn’t have his full band with him, it was just him playing his guitar and singing. I think the one in Charlotte he’s coming to, he’s bringing the entire band. That will be my next one to go see.

Previous Xfinity Spotlight Q&A’s

Justin Allgaier

Darrell Wallace Jr.

Michael Annett

Ryan Reed

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