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From: Leighton Sibille <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, May 6, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Subject: Niece Motorsports NCTS Race Advance: Kansas Speedway
To: <[email protected]>
View this email in your browser NIECE MOTORSPORTSNCTS RACE ADVANCE: KANSAS SPEEDWAYEvent: Heart of Health Care 200 (134 laps / 201 miles) Round: 9 of 25 (Regular Season) Track: Kansas Speedway Location: Kansas City, Kansas Date & Time: Saturday, May 10 | 7:30 PM ET Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | NASCAR Racing Network (NRN) | SiriusXM Ch. 90Team Stats & Notes– Niece Motorsports Kansas Stats: Niece drivers have made a total of 40 combined NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) starts at Kansas Speedway. The organization has been strong here in recent years, picking up six top-fives and nine top-10 finishes. In 2019, the team won its first race at this track with Ross Chastain. – Ties to the Area: Niece Products of Kansas is based roughly an hour and a half away from the racetrack in Fort Scott. As an extension of Niece Equipment, Niece Products of Kansas builds both water trucks and fuel/lube trucks to serve the area’s construction needs.  No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Chevrolet Silverado RSTDriver: Matt Mills | Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett– Mills’ Kansas Stats: Matt Mills has made four NCTS starts at Kansas Speedway, finishing as high as 17th-place in 2017. Last spring, Mills drove to a 23rd-place finish. Mills has also made five NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts here, posting a best run of 19th in 2023. In 2021, he made his Cup Series debut at the 1.5-mile track. – Shiplett’s Kansas Stats: Mike Shiplett has called two NCTS races at this track, both of which were last year. In the spring, he led the Bret Holmes Racing team to a 14th-place finish. Shiplett is a past Kansas winner, triumphing with John Hunter Nemechek for the NXS race in 2018. His NXS drivers delivered one win, one pole, and three top-fives in six starts. In 10 Cup Series starts, Shiplett earned two top-10s with a best of seventh by Cole Custer in 2020. – On the Truck: Mills’ No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from longtime partners J.F. Electric and Utilitra, who will serve as his anchor partners for the entire 25-race season. – Recapping Texas: Matt Mills and the No. 42 team had their hopes of a top-10 finish dashed in a late-race incident at Texas Motor Speedway. After starting deep in 30th once qualifying was rained out, a brilliant strategy call resulted in Mills capturing a second-place finish in stage one. From there, Mills hovered around the top-15 for the remainder of the night before clipping the grass on the front stretch. The damage proved to be too severe to continue the race, resulting in a 20th-place finish. – Points Rundown: Mills gained one spot in the points standings with his 20th-place run in Texas. Though currently shown in 19th-place, he is tied with Andres Perez de Lara for 18th. The driver of the No. 42 has a two-point buffer over Connor Mosack in 20th. – Quoting Mills: What can you take away from some of the other intermediates for this week? “Our long-run speed on mile-and-a-halves is our strong suit, but we need to find a little bit of a balance between firing off and maintaining that speed with how the stages are laid out for us in the trucks. Kansas is a good track for Niece Motorsports as a whole, so going into this one I feel strongly that we can have a good run. We’ve been fast there in the past, but just haven’t been able to get the results to show it.”About J.F. Electric: J.F. Electric is an electrical contractor that provides engineering expertise, backed by construction and installation know-how in a diverse range of service offerings, from utilities and commercial projects, to industrial and telecommunications customers. When having a long family history in an industry, a company not only builds on its knowledge and experience, it takes pride in cultivating a solid understanding of client needs, all the while nurturing strong relationships with its employees. Evolving through five generations of the Fowler family, J.F. Electric has matured into a well-managed and thoughtfully diversified electrical contractor which is poised to continue its growth and expansion into the future. About Utilitra: Utilitra is a woman-owned firm specializing in utility and technology solutions with a diverse team of specialized professionals. Utilitra is committed to solving their client’s unique challenges, whether one expert or a team of experts is needed. By adapting to the needs of their respective industries, Utilitra has built a range of services for their utility and technology partners.  No. 44 AutoVentive / Precision Vehicle Logistics Chevrolet Silverado RSTDriver: Bayley Currey | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers– Currey’s Kansas Stats: Bayley Currey has competed in seven NCTS races at Kansas and recently picked up his personal-best finish here (eighth) in the fall of 2024. Currey was strong in the spring as well, falling one spot short of a top-10. He’s also made five NXS starts, finishing as high as 16th in 2021, along with one Cup Series start. – Rogers’ Kansas Stats: Wally Rogers has called 11 NCTS races at Kansas, resulting in one top-five (fifth with Matt Crafton in 2004) and two top-10 finishes. Rogers called six NXS races at the 1.5-mile track, finishing as high as third with Greg Biffle in 2003. He has also made a total of eight Cup Series starts here. – On the Truck: Currey’s No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from AutoVentive and Precision Vehicle Logistics, who both make their first appearance on his truck for this year. – Recapping Texas: After having two races feel like they got away, Bayley Currey and the No. 44 team were able to break through for a hard-earned top-10 finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Currey started the race mid-pack and struggled to pass other trucks in dirty air, but kept calm and stayed calculated throughout the night. With the help of some great pit stops and strong maneuvers on restarts, Currey drove to an eighth-place finish. – Owner Points Rundown: Currey’s eighth-place run at Texas gained the No. 44 team some ground in the owner points standings, but the entry remains in 15th-place. Heading into Kansas, the team is only three points behind TRICON Garage’s No. 17 truck in 14th and one point ahead of Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Silverado in 16th. – Quoting Currey: You picked up a top-10 last week and last fall here, so what can you do to keep the momentum rolling? “I think the biggest thing is just to keep doing what we’re doing. The No. 44 guys are clicking really good. I keep saying that, but they really have been. Just have to keep our same processes going. We had a really good run here last year, and I feel like we’re a lot better than last year, so hopefully we can just carry this momentum and these good runs into something good at Kansas.”About AutoVentive: AutoVentive is an industry-leading Software as a Service (SaaS) applications developer providing customized solutions to the automotive logistics industry. The company is part of Liberty Hill Equity Partners, LLC, a Cincinnati-based private equity firm.About Precision Vehicle Logistics: Precision Vehicle Logistics is a customer-focused group of professionals committed to service excellence in finished vehicle logistics. Precision offers a unique combination of talented experience, industry-leading software and systems, and a network of partners and resources to deliver customized solutions to the world’s leading automakers.  No. 45 DQS Solutions & Staffing / Masked Owl Technologies Chevrolet Silverado RSTDriver: Kaden Honeycutt | Crew Chief: Phil Gould– Honeycutt’s Kansas Stats: Kaden Honeycutt has raced four times prior at Kansas Speedway, and was a strong contender in both races last year. With two fourth-place efforts in 2024, Honeycutt’s average finish from both races was the third-best overall behind only Corey Heim and Christian Eckes. – Gould’s Kansas Stats: Phil Gould has called 11 NCTS races at Kansas Speedway, all for Niece Motorsports. In 2019, Gould won the team’s first race at this track while working with Ross Chastain. Gould’s drivers typically fare well here, earning four top-fives and six top-10 finishes over the years. In six NXS starts at the track, Gould’s teams picked up three top-10 finishes. – On the Truck: Honeycutt’s No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from DQS Solutions & Staffing and Masked Owl Technologies, who will serve as his anchor partners for the majority of the season. – Recapping Texas: Local favorite Kaden Honeycutt was tracking for a great Texas debut in front of the hometown crowd, but unfortunately was wiped out in an early crash. Honeycutt started in sixth-place and was running up front when a truck hit the grass in front of him and slammed into the nose of the No. 45 Chevrolet. With nowhere to go, Honeycutt hit the turn one wall at a high rate of speed, and was done for the night. He was credited with a 32nd-place finish. – Points Rundown: Despite finishing last in Texas, Honeycutt’s points advantage over the Playoffs cutline drivers kept him from dropping out of contention. Entering the ninth race of the year at Kansas, Honeycutt continues on in ninth-place, 22 points behind Layne Riggs in eighth and five points ahead of Ben Rhodes in 10th. – Quoting Honeycutt: Your team was strong in both Kansas races last year, so what do you need when you go back here? “We had two different scenarios and almost had a chance to win both of them last year. I’m not concerned about going to Kansas without any speed; I think we’ll be fast. Just need to execute, really. I think the last two times, that was the only thing that held us back was execution. We’ve had a lot of speed everywhere we’ve gone this year from short tracks to mile-and-a-halves. I think it’s just going to be about hitting the strategy right and doing what I need to do to put ourselves in a good position to fight for the win. This company has had speed at Kansas for the past six years or so, so I don’t see anything changing.”About DQS Solutions & Staffing: Guided by a mission to achieve excellence and adaptability, DQS partners with clients to create custom solutions that address unique business challenges. Recognized as Michigan’s fastest-growing company and #22 in the nation on the Inc. 5000 list, DQS drives industry growth while giving back through its nonprofit, Foundation for Pops, and partnerships like the River Rouge School District. About Masked Owl Technologies: Masked Owl Technologies (MOT) is an industrial solutions integrator specializing in developing customized automation and controls processes. They take a consulting-based approach to identify the root cause of system challenges and incorporate tested, emerging technology into industrial solutions that mitigate risk and solve complex problems, the first time. About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is a professional auto racing team founded by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2025, the team celebrates its 10th consecutive season competing in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) where it fields the Nos. 41, 42, 44 and 45. Since its founding in 2016, Niece Motorsports has garnered nine wins, 50+ top-fives, 100+ top-10s, 190+ top-15 finishes and made five playoff appearances. At its 80,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Salisbury, NC, Niece Motorsports is a trusted build shop for the Chevrolet Silverados of multiple NCTS teams as well as a customizable fabrication shop for any manufacturing needs.Follow the Team: To keep up to date with the latest team news, visit niecemotorsports.com or connect on Facebook and Instagram (@NieceMotorsports) as well as X (@NieceMotorsport). |
