Information By: LEIGHTON SIBILLE / NIECE MOTORSPORTS – SALISBURY, NC
NIECE MOTORSPORTS
NCTS RACE ADVANCE: MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
Race: Zip Buy Now Pay Later 200 (200 laps / 105.2 miles) | Race 22 of 23
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Location: Ridgeway, Virginia
Date & Time: Friday, November 1st | 6:00 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | Motor Racing Network (MRN) | Sirius XM Ch. 90
No. 41 DQS Solutions & Staffing Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Bayley Currey | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
– Currey’s Martinsville Stats: Bayley Currey has made two NCTS starts at Martinsville Speedway; once in his series debut race back in 2017 and most recently in the spring of this year. Currey secured his best NCTS finish at the track in April with a 17th-place showing. Currey made five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts as well, posting another 17th-place as his best run in spring, 2022.
– Niece Motorsports’ Martinsville Stats: Niece Motorsports have made a combined 27 NCTS starts at Martinsville Speedway since 2017. The organization has accounted for two top-fives and four top-10 finishes, with Ross Chastain posting the team’s best result (second) in 2019.
– Rogers’ Martinsville Stats: Wally Rogers has called 11 NCTS races at Martinsville, with highlights including one top-five and four top-10 finishes. Rogers’ best truck run at this track came in 2005 while working with Ron Hornaday who finished third. He has also been on top of the box for one Xfinity Series race and nine Cup Series races held at ‘The Paperclip’.
– Birthday Race: Happy birthday, Bayley! Currey celebrated his 28th birthday on Tuesday, October 29th. Instead of gifts, he is asking for everyone to vote him as this year’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Most Popular Driver: https://www.nascar.com/truckmostpopulardriver/.
– On the Truck: Currey’s No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Masked Owl Technologies and DQS Solutions & Staffing.
– Recapping Homestead-Miami: Bayley Currey and the No. 41 Masked Owl team were struck with damage after an incident with another competitor in stage one at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After starting 11th, Currey dropped to 26th in the first stage and 33rd in the second stage. The team lost several laps with repairs being made, resulting in a 31st-place finish.
– Points Rundown: Currey continues to sit 19th in the championship points standings even after his disappointing run in Homestead-Miami. Entering Martinsville, the driver of the No. 41 is on the heels of 18th-place’s Bret Holmes, who is only ahead by five points. Kaden Honeycutt is behind Currey in 20th, 12 points behind him.
– Quoting Currey: What would you rate a Martinsville hot dog on a scale from one to 10?
“I mean, I really don’t think I know if there’s one that’s better. Wienerschnitzel is pretty high, but I’m going to say seven, maybe eight. All the way too. It’s not a Martinsville dog if you don’t get it ‘STP style’ or whatever it is. The most I’ve ever had in a weekend is 13, but I can’t do that anymore.”
– Quoting Rogers: Thoughts on competing at Martinsville Speedway:
“Martinsville is a great track and has many challenges. Track position, turning the middle of the corner, and maintaining drive off are just a couple of them. Chances are, you will pit only one time so your truck needs to be driving good. There can be a lot of bumping and banging throughout the race so keeping the fenders on will be important. If we execute properly on all these things we will have a good finish.” DQS Solutions & Staffing Mission Statement: The core mission of DQS Solutions & Staffing is to attain unparalleled excellence in our specialized domains, specifically staffing and security. Simultaneously, we maintain the flexibility required to collaborate closely with our clients in the creation of innovative products and services within the framework of DQS.
No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Matt Mills | Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
– Mills Approved for Martinsville: Following a scary incident in last week’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Matt Mills was transported to the Jackson South Medical Center where he stayed two nights for further evaluation after suffering smoke inhalation. A group of doctors from both the NASCAR medical team and the hospital released Mills on Monday and later approved him to compete in Friday’s race at Martinsville Speedway.
– Mills’ Martinsville Stats: Back in April, Matt Mills made his first-career NCTS start at Martinsville Speedway. After getting involved in a late-race crash, Mills was forced to settle with a 29th-place finish. Mills has made a total of six NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the 0.526-mile short track, posting a best finish of 18th in the spring of 2022.
– Shiplett’s Martinsville Stats: Mike Shiplett called his first Truck Series race at Martinsville in the spring, where he finished 24th with Bret Holmes. Shiplett has made 12 Cup Series starts here, posting a best run of 12th in the fall of 2010 with AJ Allmendinger. Last year, he nearly won his first Xfinity Series race at the half-mile short track with Austin Hill before getting involved in a last lap crash.
– On the Truck: Mills’ No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from longtime partners J.F. Electric and Utilitra.
– Recapping Homestead-Miami: Matt Mills and the No. 42 Utilitra / J.F. Electric team’s race was cut short following a hard crash on lap 74 at Homestead-Miami. The team had to start at the rear of the field with a transmission change, but Mills climbed to 18th in stage one and 15th in stage two. While battling with another competitor for position, contact sent Mills careening into the outside wall, resulting in a 34th-place finish.
– Points Rundown: Mills remains 23rd in the NCTS driver points standings following his 34th-place finish at Homestead-Miami. Directly ahead of Mills in 22nd is Timmy Hill, who currently has a 20-point gap above him. Behind sits Lawless Alan in 24th, who has a 13-point deficit.
– Quoting Mills: Were you able to take any positives away from the spring Martinsville race to bring it into this weekend?
“Yeah, we were pretty good in Martinsville, just kind of kept getting buried on track position and our strategies didn’t play out that well. Overall, we had a fast truck and that day should have been a lot better than what it was. I’m going there with some redemption hope.”
– Quoting Shiplett: What is the key to staying up front at Martinsville?
“The biggest thing with Martinsville is understanding your braking points and how far you can drive into the corners on new tires versus old tires. The way the truck race plays out, you should only pit one time and then you have to stay out, manage your tires, and play defense. It’s not really about rolling the center of the corner as it is with your drive off, so you have to try and keep your track position all race long. Nobody is going to pass in the middle, and it’s very seldom that the outside lane gets going. Just being able to hold your position and get good drive off is the key to success here.”
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 Niece Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Matt Gould | Crew Chief: Jon Leonard
– Gould Returns: Matt Gould, son of Niece Motorsports’ No. 45 Crew Chief, Phil Gould, returns to the seat of the No. 44 Niece Equipment Chevrolet to make his second-career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Martinsville Speedway. Gould made his series debut at the Milwaukee Mile back in August, and is a regular late model stock competitor in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series at Hickory Motor Speedway.
– Gould’s Martinsville Stats: Matt Gould will make his first-career start in any series at Martinsville Speedway during Friday night’s Zip Buy Now Pay Later 200.
– Leonard’s Martinsville Stats: Jon Leonard has called three NCTS races at Martinsville before, showing a 13th-place run with Stewart Friesen as his best result in 2022. Leonard also called two Cup Series races here, finishing as high as 19th with Michael McDowell in 2017.
– STEM Appearance: Last Wednesday, Niece Motorsports drivers Matt Gould, Bayley Currey, and Matt Mills spent the day at Martinsville Speedway teaching a group of students from the local Patrick Henry Elementary School the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) within the NASCAR industry. The drivers helped students build rubber band cars, hosted a Q&A, and partook in local media interviews ahead of the race weekend.
– On the Truck: Gould’s No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Niece Equipment. Located in Buda, Texas, Niece Equipment specializes in building water and fuel/lube trucks for commercial use on construction projects.
– Owner Points Outlook: Following Conor Daly’s 28th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the part-time No. 44 Niece Motorsports team continues to be shown 34th in the owner points standings.
– Quoting Matt Gould: Now that you have a truck race under your belt, do you think this weekend should be a little bit easier as far as getting used to everything?
“For sure. I think I am going into Martinsville with a whole lot more confidence than what I felt heading into Milwaukee since there was a lot of unknowns. Now, I feel like I can unload off of the trailer and pick it up in practice to be better in the race. I can’t thank Al (Niece), Cody (Efaw), and everyone at Niece Equipment and Chevrolet enough for this second chance at racing their truck.”
– Quoting Leonard: Do you think Matt’s late model experience is going to help him at all in the truck, or is this something completely different?
“Yeah, absolutely. I know the No. 44 team had some problems at Milwaukee, but I think the second half of the race, he began to adapt pretty well. I think with his background at Hickory, running a truck on the short tracks will correlate. We spent some time in the simulator and I thought he did really well. It’s a rhythm racetrack, so I think once he gets in a groove with some practice under his belt, he’ll be just fine.”
– Quoting Phil Gould: How much of a benefit for Matt was running the Milwaukee race and do you think that should help his learning curve?
“Yeah, definitely. I think Martinsville is the closest he’ll be to what he’s been used to running in the late models. Milwaukee was definitely a lot faster, more technical than Martinsville, but I think having another race under his belt in a truck will give him some more confidence this weekend.”
About Niece Equipment: For over 30 years, Niece Equipment has provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Our reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. Each of our water and fuel/lube trucks are engineered with quality and durability in mind. Our capability ranges from 2,000 gallon water trucks to 12,000 gallon water towers. The fuel/lube trucks we offer range from 600 to 4,000 gallons.
No. 45 Moore’s Venture Foods Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Kaden Honeycutt | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
– Honeycutt’s Martinsville Stats: Kaden Honeycutt has made three previous NCTS starts at Martinsville Speedway. In this year’s spring race, Honeycutt secured his first top-10 finish at ‘The Paperclip’ with a ninth-place result. Honeycutt made both his Truck Series and Xfinity Series debuts here in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
– Gould’s Martinsville Stats: Phil Gould has called seven Truck Series races at Martinsville, earning two top-fives and three top-10 finishes. In the fall race of 2019, Gould’s team finished runner-up with Ross Chastain.
– On the Truck: Honeycutt’s No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Moore’s Venture Foods, a family-owned grocery store chain located in Oklahoma. 2024 marks the company’s 50th anniversary of the first store opening, and has been operated by the Moore family for three generations.
– Recapping Homestead-Miami: Kaden Honeycutt and the No. 45 team had a promising showing at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Qualifying sixth, Honeycutt made quick work in stage one to finish runner-up on the bumper of the leader. In stage two, Honeycutt followed up the performance with a fifth-place effort. During the final green flag pit cycle, the No. 45 lost some positions and was ultimately dropped to a 14th-place result.
– Owner Points Outlook: Entering the penultimate race of the year at Martinsville, the No. 45 team remains seeded ninth overall in the owner points standings. Following closely in 10th is Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 team, which is currently three points behind the No. 45.
– Quoting Honeycutt: You got a good finish in the spring race, but do you think the track will have changed much this time?
“I think the track will be the same as what we raced in the spring. We are bringing something different this time to see if we can improve to a winning truck. We were top-five last time we were there, but we want to go win and I think we have improved since then. I think it will be about track position like it always is starting with qualifying good enough to put yourself in the position at the end of it. It’s going to be crazy with all the playoff drivers trying to win and get into the Championship 4. We are going to do what we need to do to win.”
About Moore’s Venture Foods: Moore’s Venture Foods is a family-owned grocery store chain located in Oklahoma. The chain has brick-and-mortar stores in Alva, Fairfax, Shattuck, and Tonkawa, Oklahoma, and has been operated by the Moore family for three generations. To learn more, please visit www.MooresVentureFoods.com.