Niece Motorsports NCTS Race Recap: Charlotte Motor Speedway - Speedway Digest

Race: North Carolina Education Lottery 200 (134 laps / 201 miles) | Race 11 of 23
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway
Location: Concord, North Carolina
Date & Time: Friday, May 24th | 8:30 PM ET

No. 41 Foundation for Pops Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Bayley Currey | Crew Chief: Mike Hillman, Jr.

Start: 10th
Stage 1: 11th
Stage 2: 17th Finish: 26th
Driver Points: 16th
Owner Points: 20th

– Key Takeaway: Bayley Currey and the No. 41 team fired off well after securing a top-10 starting position in Charlotte. Currey would hold his track position through stage one where he finished 11th, but dropped to 17th in stage two following an unscheduled return to pit road. In the final stage, Currey sustained heavy damage when a competitor blew a tire directly in front of the No. 41 Foundation for Pops Chevrolet, hindering his competitiveness. He finished the race in the 26th position.

– Bayley Currey’s Post-Race Thoughts: “We had a really, really good Foundation for Pops / DQS Chevy Silverado tonight. Some restarts didn’t go our way which set us behind, and had some issues on pit road which put us in a bad spot. The No. 88 blew a right front tire right in front of us – not his doing, not his fault, but we were just in the wrong place in the wrong time. Ended up hitting the back of him, tore the nose off, got in the wall, and knocked the toe off. Really tough night for us; we had a top-10 truck no doubt, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes. We’ll move onto Gateway.” Foundation for Pops Mission Statement: Foundation for Pops aims to empower people experiencing homelessness and veterans through education, resource development, assistance, and supportive services to enhance their economic mobility and secure quality, affordable housing.

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: Jon Leonard

Start: 15th
Stage 1: 18th
Stage 2: 18th Finish: 4th
Driver Points: 24th
Owner Points: 27th

– Key Takeaway: Matt Mills and the No. 42 team put forth a great effort in Charlotte that resulted in them earning their best finish of the season. Mills started the race from 15th, and quietly finished in 18th position at the conclusion of stage one and two. The team came alive late in the going of stage three, and following a late-race pitstop, Mills rocketed into the top-five. Where he initially crossed the line fifth, a disqualification was made through tech inspection. Mills would later be classified in the fourth position, which is his best-career finish in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

– Matt Mills’ Post-Race Thoughts: “We should have been having those runs all year long, but it’s been a little bit of a learning curve with a new team and being in a competitive situation each and every week. It’s taken a little bit longer than we had liked to get a top-five run like this, but at this moment, it feels like a win, so that’s good.”

Interviewer: First top-five of the season, you know what the Niece trucks are capable of. Did that give you confidence going into tonight?

“Yeah, I mean for sure. They had a good history last year, but I needed confidence for myself. I just needed to go out and do it myself and get some runs that we could build off of. I felt like at Darlington, we were able to have a top-10 truck and actually go out there and showcase what we can do. Now we can run top-five, so we’ll keep grinding on it and take this as baby steps. We’ve just got to keep growing and going at 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. 45 R.D.C. Shoe Company Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Kaden Honeycutt | Crew Chief: Phil Gould

Start: 9th
Stage 1: 2nd
Stage 2: 4th Finish: 7th
Driver Points: 21st
Owner Points: 7th

– Key Takeaway: Kaden Honeycutt and the No. 45 team experienced a roller coaster-like eventful day at Charlotte. In practice, Honeycutt damaged the right side of his truck after contact with another competitor. The crew repaired the truck well enough to qualify in the top-10, and after starting ninth, he began to march to the front. Honeycutt would make it up to second at the end of stage one, and backed up the performance with a fourth-place run in stage two. Issues on pit road forced Honeycutt to the rear of the field on two occasions, but he was able to rally back to a seventh-place finish.
– Kaden Honeycutt’s Post-Race Thoughts: “Man, what an amazing R.D.C. Chevy we had tonight. I can’t thank Phil (Gould), Cody (Efaw), and Al (Niece) enough for the opportunity to race for this Niece Motorsports team. I’m gutted that we weren’t able to pull off the win after coming so close, but I know there are so many positives to take away from here. Stuff happens, and while I wish the result was better, I can walk away knowing how much speed we have. My guys never quit working on it. We had a wrecked truck in practice and had to go to the back twice tonight, and still came home with a top-10. Everyone is putting so much effort in here and I can’t wait to get back in this truck at Nashville.”

Niece Motorsports PR