Brandon Jones returning to RCR’s No. 33 Xfinity car in 2017

The driver roster for Richard Childress Racing’s Xfinity Series operation in 2017 continues to fill out with the announcement that Brandon Jones will return to the No. 33 car next season.

The news comes with Jones set to begin the inaugural Xfinity Chase as one of its 12 members.

It also joins the announcement from last weekend that Camping World Truck Series driver Daniel Hemric has signed with RCR to drive in the Xfinity Series next year.

Jones enters the Chase with 11 top-10 finishes in 26 starts, but no top fives. The only time he’s led a race was 36 laps at Talladega Superspeedway in April. His average finish is 12.9. His only top five in Xfinity competition came at Kentucky in 2015, when he made five starts.

“Brandon has shown he has the talent behind the wheel to run up front and compete for championships in the Xfinity Series, and we are pleased he will continue to do so in an RCR Chevrolet,” said Richard Childress in a press release. “We are proud of everything he has accomplished this season, including leading laps, making the inaugural Xfinity Series Chase and contending for the Rookie of the Year title. Brandon has also been an excellent spokesman for our sponsors and does an exceptional job representing our brand.”

Jones, 19, is a native of Atlanta. He’s made 30 starts in the Camping World Truck Series since 2013, recording five top fives and no wins. His only win in NASCAR competition came in the K&N Pro Series East at Iowa Speedway in 2014.

“I am honored to return to Richard Childress Racing for the 2017 season,” said Jones in a press release. “RCR is such a storied NASCAR organization and it’s a great opportunity to be a part of the team. Racing full-time in the Xfinity Series this season has been a valuable learning experience. I believe we have what it takes to compete for the championship throughout the Chase this season and make another run at the title in 2017.”

During the Hemric announcement on Saturday, Childress said his grandson Ty Dillon would run “almost a full” Xfinity season next year. Dillon is expected to run full-time in the Sprint Cup Series as well.

Chase grid: Larson, Harvick among first four out with Stewart on edge of cutoff

One race is down in the Chase for the Sprint Cup with two races left in the first round.

Martin Truex Jr. locked himself into the second round with his win at Chicagoland Speedway.

Here is a look at the Chase grid ahead of expected points penalties for Truex and Jimmie Johnson failing post-race laser inspection on Sunday.

The first four drivers currently out of the top 12 would be Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher.

Tony Stewart is in the 12th position, one point above the cutoff. Johnson is currently 10th on the grid, but a possible 10-point penalty would drop him to a three-way tie with Harvick and Dillon.

Here’s the full Chase grid.

TRUEX JR. TAKES LESS, GIVES MORE TO FURNITURE ROW

JOLIET, Ill. -- How sincere was Martin Truex Jr. in his desire to stay with Furniture Row Racing during contract talks with team officials?

Enough that the 36-year-old NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver agreed to work for less than he likely could have earned elsewhere.

"There were other opportunities that were out there," Truex said Sunday after winning the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.  "I believe this is the best team I've ever had. This is my best opportunity to win races. We've proven that. It's my best opportunity, and really only my second opportunity, since last year, to go for a championship. That wasn't something I was willing to get rid of or throw away."

While Furniture Row officials were in the midst of making the switch from Chevrolet to Toyota a year ago, a contract extension with Truex was also wrapping up. In late September, officials announced both agreements were in place.

Then, in August of this year, the team announced a new, two-year extension for Truex.

RELATED: Truex inks new deal at Furniture Row

"I made the commitment to Barney we were going to do it, we were going to work together and make it work for everybody," Truex said of the arrangement. "Barney has put a lot into his race team over the years obviously. Seeing Furniture Row on that race car each and every year, that's Barney's race car and Barney is the one funding it.

"He had to change some things in the way he was running his race team. He asked me if I would kind of, not take the hit but be the one that took a little bit of a hit for the team to make sure we could keep the competition up and make sure we could continue to get the things we needed to be competitive and win races and hopefully go after a championship."

Visser started the Denver-based team from scratch in 2005, and has funded the single-car outfit for much of its existence through his own businesses.

Others have come on board to help the cause and the switch from Chevrolet to Toyota has paid tremendous dividends. Sunday's victory was the third of the season for Truex and more importantly it came in the opening race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. He and the No. 78 team, run by crew chief Cole Pearn, are guaranteed to advance to the Round of 12 in the Chase.

Prior to this season, Truex had three career wins. Furniture Row had two.

The organization, which now receives technical support from Joe Gibbs Racing, will expand in 2017 with the addition of a second team and driver Erik Jones.

RELATED: Furniture Row adds Jones to growing team

The rise from a struggling single-car outfit to a championship contender didn't happen overnight.

"Yeah, I do feel like I'm living a dream," Visser, a Vietnam veteran, said. "But that's why we do it. Most of the other things that I've done in life have been a little bit like this, but nothing right to the very top of the best racing in the world here. (It's) very exciting.

"I have to thank Toyota and Martin. Like I said, I think he's a pure athlete. He drove for a little bit less this year than I think a lot of the drivers in his class have, and he did it because he wanted to be here. I can't thank him enough for all that."

NOS. 78, 48 FAIL POST-RACE INSPECTION AT CHICAGO

The No. 78 Toyota of race winner Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 48 Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson failed post-race inspection Sunday following the opening race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Both cars failed during both trips through the Laser Inspection System (LIS). Any penalties will be announced later in the week, according to NASCAR.

"It is what it is," No. 78 crew chief Cole Pearn said post-race in the Sprint Cup garage. "Kind of a bummer on the day, but whatever, you know. We'll move on. … It's just really tricky. It's just the repeatability. Things relax. It's not the stiffest suspension back there, by any means. You try to account for that and prevent it and we missed it. We missed it two weeks in a row, which is kind of crappy."

This is the second consecutive week the No. 78 failed post-race LIS.

RELATED: No. 78 fails Richmond post-race | Team assessed P2 penalty

Previous LIS violations have produced either 10- or 15-point deductions during the regular season. NASCAR recently updated its rules for "encumbered" victory penalties during the postseason, but those would not be in effect for Truex Jr. because it was the lowest grade of failure for the LIS platform.

"The right rear of our car was well within the tolerance margin, which showed that we were trying to be conservative," Furniture Row Racing announced in a team release on Monday. "However, the left rear wheel alignment was off by approximately ten-thousandths of an inch, which in high probability was due to damage in that area as a result of being hit by the No. 4 car. We believe the laser inspection numbers were correct and accept NASCAR's decision that was made following Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway."

RELATED: Read more about the rules updates

Kyle Busch's No. 18 Toyota failed its first trip through the LIS platform, but passed the second. That does not equal a failed post-race inspection.

Additionally, the No. 16 Ford of Greg Biffle was missing one lug nut after the race and the No. 43 Ford of Aric Almirola had a broken stud.

The Nos. 78, 22 (of Joey Logano) and 24 (of Chase Elliott) will undergo further scrutiny at the weekly post-race inspection at the R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, on Tuesday. That event will be live-streamed on NASCAR.com.

Furniture Row Racing accepts NASCAR’s post-race inspection findings

Furniture Row Racing issued a statement Monday regarding the No. 78 of Martin Truex Jr. failing inspection following Sunday’s race at Chicagoland Speedway.

Following his win, NASCAR’s laser inspection found the left rear of Truex’ car was not within tolerated measurements. Furniture Row Racing president Joe Garone stated that the team accepted NASCAR’s ruling.

“The right rear of our car was well within the tolerance margin, which showed that we were trying to be conservative. However, the left rear wheel alignment was off by approximately 10-thousandths of an inch, which in high probability was due to damage in that area as a result of being hit by the No. 4 car. We believe the laser inspection numbers were correct and accept NASCAR’s decision that was made following Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.”

Both Truex and Jimmie Johnson failed laser inspection twice after the race. Any penalties are expected to be announced later this week. NASCAR stated Sunday that any penalty would not prevent Truex from advancing to the second round via the win.

Entry list for Sprint Cup’s New England 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

There are 40 cars entered into Sprint Cup Series’ New England 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The race is the second stop of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Matt Kenseth is the defending winner of the race.

Matt DiBenedetto sponsored by NASCAR Heat Evolution at New Hampshire

BK Racing has announced Matt DiBenedetto will be sponsored by the new video game, “NASCAR Heat Evolution,” this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the New England 300.

DiBenedetto’s No. 83 Camry will be mostly black with the logos of the game that was released Sept. 13 for the Play Station 4, Xbox One and PC platforms.

The game is made by Dusenberry Martin Racing.

In the Challenge Mode of the game, you can try and recreate DiBenedetto’s sixth-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway last April.

The New England 300 is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN.