NASCAR Xfinity Series Ambetter Health 302: Qualifying, Brandon Jones’ Pole Position, Round of 8-Opening Lineup At Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Non-playoff competitor Brandon Jones captured the pole position for Saturday’s Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by having “a little more,” runner-up Cole Custer told NBC Sports.

Jones on Friday turned a hot lap of 183.43 mph, edging Custer by 0.039 seconds to secure his fourth pole of the season. Custer, the top playoff qualifier, said his team will seek to gain the little bit they were off.

“There’s always room for more, but it was really fast,” Custer said with a smile. “It was screamin’ down the backstretch.”

Custer mentioned the 1.5-mile oval track appeared to have more grip than in previous events. With Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. ET start, the afternoon conditions may alter racing strategies during the evening hours.

“It’ll be a little different race because it’s going into night a little bit,” Custer predicted. “We’ve seen everyone slippin’ and slidin’ around here the past couple of years, but it might be a little different race this time. “It’ll be interesting and we’ll try to keep up with it.”

Chandler Smith (182.76 mph), Sam Mayer (182.642) and Sammy Smith (182.587) rounded out the top five qualifiers Friday.

Justin Allgaier Shakes Slump, Advances To Round Of 8

He barely made it.

But he did, by four points.

Stage 3 of last Saturday’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course left Justin Allgaier a bit road-weary. The No. 7 Chevrolet team earned a P7, barely advancing to the third round of the playoffs.

“We had a plan,” Allgaier said, as reported by NASCAR.com. “We executed the plan to perfection today and really, that’s all you can ask for. And so for me, having that plan, I had 90 million things running through my head today.”

Most of the thoughts must have revolved around his recent slump, entering last weekend with three finishes of P30, P36 and P25, 18 points below the elimination line.

Allgaier’s plan was punctuated by earning 18 early points, highlighted by a Stage 2 win.

“This team has such a never-give-up attitude,” Allgaier said.

Allgaier joins JR Motorsports teammates Sammy Smith and Sam Mayer in the three-event Round of 8.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I still believe we could have all three of our Camaros in the final four,” Allgaier said.

Starting Lineup for NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Ambetter Health 302

Here is a look at the lineup for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

Starting Position, Driver, Car No., Team

• 1, Brandon Jones, 9, JR Motorsports
• 2, Cole Custer, 00, Stewart-Haas Racing
• 3, Chandler Smith, 81, Joe Gibbs Racing
• 4, Sam Mayer, 1, JR Motorsports
• 5, Sammy Smith, 8, JR Motorsports
• 6, Justin Allgaier, 7, JR Motorsports
• 7, Riley Herbst, 98, Stewart-Haas Racing
• 8, Jesse Love, 2, Richard Childress Racing
• 9, AJ Allmendinger, 16, Kaulig Racing
• 10, Ryan Sieg, 28, RSS Racing
• 11, Parker Kligerman, 48, Big Machine Racing
• 12, Aric Almirola, 20, Joe Gibbs Racing
• 13, Taylor Gray, 19, Joe Gibbs Racing
• 14, Corey Heim, 26, Sam Hunt Racing
• 15, Jeb Burton, 27, Jordan Anderson Racing
• 16, Shane van Gisbergen, 97, Kaulig Racing
• 17, Austin Hill, 21, Richard Childress Racing
• 18, Anthony Alfredo, 5, Our Motorsports
• 19, Jeremy Clements, 51, Jeremy Clements Racing
• 20, Parker Retzlaff, 31, Jordan Anderson Racing
• 21, Dylan Lupton, 15, AM Racing
• 22, Kyle Sieg, 39, RSS Racing
• 23, Josh Williams, 11, Kaulig Racing
• 24, Matt DiBenedetto, 38, RSS Racing
• 25, Leland Honeyman, 42, Young’s Motorsports
• 26, Dawson Cram, 92, DGM Racing
• 27, Kyle Weatherman, 91, DGM Racing
• 28, JJ Yeley, 14, SS Greenlight Racing
• 29, Ryan Vargas, 74, Mike Harmon Racing
• 30, Daniel Dye, 10, Kaulig Racing
• 31, Garrett Smithley, 45, Alpha Prime Racing
• 32, Brennan Poole, 44, Alpha Prime Racing
• 33, Myatt Snider, 07, SS Greenlight Racing
• 34, Ryan Ellis, 43, Alpha Prime Racing
• 35, Blaine Perkins, 29, RSS Racing
• 36, Joey Gase, 53, Joey Gase Motorsports
• 37, Akinori Ogata, 35, Joey Gase Motorsports
• 38, Sheldon Creed, 18, Joe Gibbs Racing