DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Going winless in 98 consecutive races was not easy for Brandon Jones, but he never wavered in his belief that he could get back to victory lane.
Part of this was confidence in himself, but it went so much further for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
"It's because everybody believes in me," Jones said after winning Saturday's Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway. "It's infectious. I can feel that showing up to the track.
"I have no doubt that my crew chief on top of that box, he 100% thinks I'm the best driver in the field. My pit crew thinks I'm the best driver in the field. My coaches think I'm the best driver in the field. It's just fuel in the fire."
MORE: Brandon Jones wins, full results
Jones has achieved success sporadically in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He went winless in two seasons at Richard Childress but then scored five victories in five seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing.
He then went winless in two seasons with JR Motorsports while dealing with numerous issues on the track and missing the playoffs.
Jones moved back to Joe Gibbs Racing this season while betting on himself. He wanted to prove that he could win several races each season, and he wanted to get Menards back to victory lane after the company stuck with him through adversity.
The start of the season did not feature immediate success. Jones finished 30th or worse in two of the first three races. However, he finally scored his first top-five in the No. 20 Toyota GR Supra at Phoenix Raceway.
Jones added top-10s at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. He was in a position to contend for another top-five at Martinsville Speedway last weekend before a multi-car crash in the final turn relegated him to a finish outside of the top 20.
"The way that the season starts, it's so tough," he said. "It can go two ways. You can luck out and end up in really good situations with those first two races, or you can kind of be at the mercy of other people's mistakes and get taken out.
"That's kind of what we've had here to get going for, at least, the first three (races) or so."
Jones and second-year crew chief Sam McAulay survived the difficult start to the season featuring Daytona, Atlanta, and Circuit of the Americas while making incremental progress behind the scenes.
McAulay and the No. 20 team adjusted to Jones's driving style after one season with Sheldon Creed, and they began unloading faster with each passing week. Fewer adjustments were required during practice.
Saturday, their hard work paid off as they finally celebrated in victory lane. Jones had his first win since 2022 while McAulay had his first win as a crew chief.
Of course, that's just the start for Jones. Now, he and the No. 20 team can put the pedal down and start focusing on points, and they get to do so at a perfect time for the Georgia native.
"Looking way ahead, there's some really good stuff coming up," Jones said. "Bristol's gonna be another one that they're going to have to deal with me. We're just in a stretch right now of really good race tracks.
"This is huge confidence for this whole team, and confidence and momentum is everything."