Photo courtesy of Stacy Revere | Getty Images
Needing all the momentum heading into Saturday’s Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway, Brandon Jones got it as he won the pole for the Dead on Tools 250.
It’s Jones’ fifth pole of 2022 and seventh in his Xfinity Series career. In the spring, Jones won at Martinsville to initially clinch his playoff position. Now, he’ll need to win at Martinsville Saturday to secure his first berth in the Championship 4.
Sheldon Creed, still seeking his first Xfinity win, will join Jones on the front row.
Ty Gibbs, who sits a comfortable 30 points above the Champ 4 cutline, will start in Row 2 alongside his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Sammy Smith.
Noah Gragson, who clinched a berth to race for the title in Phoenix last Saturday at Homestead, will start fifth.
AJ Allmendinger (+5) and Justin Allgaier (-5) sit directly above and below the cutline respectively and the pair will both start inside the top 10 with Allgaier rolling off sixth while Allmendinger starts ninth.
It will be tough sledding for Sam Mayer as he starts 22nd on Saturday and sits 28 points below the cutoff.
Austin Hill enters Saturday just seven points below the cutline but will start the race with severe adversity as he did not take a qualifying lap in Friday afternoon’s session due to a radiator issue. The two-time winner this season will start 36th.
The Dead on Tools 250 is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and can be viewed on NBC and Peacock. MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide auditory necessities.
Starting Lineup:
