NIECE MOTORSPORTS
NCTS RACE PREVIEW: DARLINGTON RACEWAY
Event: Buckle Up South Carolina 200 (147 laps / 200.8 miles)
Round: 4 of 25 (Regular Season)
Track: Darlington Raceway
Location: Darlington, SC
Date & Time: Friday, March 20 | 7:30 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX | NASCAR Racing Network (NRN) | SiriusXM Ch. 90
Team Stats & Notes
- Niece Motorsports Darlington Stats:
NCTS Starts: 24; Wins: 1 (Ross Chastain, 2024); Top-Fives: 4; Top-10s: 4.
- Rolling Momentum: Niece Motorsports drivers have made waves throughout the first three races of the season. Both the Nos. 45 and 44 teams are currently above the Chase cutline, seeded fourth and 10th, respectively. The team has captured four top-10 finishes to open the year – including a pair in the last outing at St. Petersburg.
- Presenting Sponsor: Friday’s race in Darlington will be presented by Niece Motorsports’ primary partners at the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. The Buckle Up South Carolina 200 is a key race for the team, as it will represent the partners on the No. 45 Chevrolet.
No. 42 DQS Solutions & Staffing Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Conner Jones | Crew Chief: Landon Polinski
- Welcome Back, Conner: Conner Jones returns to Niece Motorsports this weekend to make his first start of the 2026 NCTS season at Darlington Raceway. Jones will split driving duties of the No. 42 Silverado with fellow drivers Tyler Reif, Parker Eatmon, and Travis Pastrana. He made five starts for the team last year, finishing as high as 18th at Bristol Motor Speedway.
- Jones’ Darlington Stats:
NCTS Starts: 1; Best Finish: 24th (2024).
- Polinski’s Darlington Stats:
NCTS Starts: 1; Best Finish: 29th (2025).
- On the Truck: Jones’ No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from DQS Solutions & Staffing. This weekend will be the first race that DQS will serve as a primary partner for the team this year.
- Recapping St. Pete: Tyler Reif and the AutoVentive / Precision team fought hard all day long in St. Petersburg. Initially slated to start the race from 18th, Reif had to drop to the tail of the field during the opening pace laps due to an issue with the starter on his truck. Reif and team never gave up and kept working at it resiliently, which kept them in the hunt. Despite having to start from the tail on numerous occasions, the No. 42 crossed the line with a respectable result in 16th-place.
- Owner Points Outlook: Following the third race of the season in St. Petersburg, the No. 42 team dropped one spot back to 20th in the owner points standings. The team is currently one point behind McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s No. 18 Chevrolet and Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 truck, who are both tied for 18th-place in points. The team leads ThorSport Racing’s No. 98 truck in 21st by a five-point gap.
- Quoting Jones: What makes Darlington such a tricky intermediate track to race on?
“I think it’s mainly because you have to run right up against the wall, and with the steel bodies on these trucks, if you just touch it, you’re going to get a tire rub and eventually blow a tire. Darlington is a very line-sensitive race track. You can’t really run the bottom quickly, and you need to stick to the top and send it. I really like driving here; it’s a lot more fun to drive by yourself at this track as opposed to your standard mile-and-a-half. It’s super challenging to pass here though, so it can be frustrating at times. You’re just up on the wheel the whole time, wrestling it and trying to get it to turn, all while trying to save tires. It’s going to be a fun race for us on Friday.”
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.
No. 44 Telcel Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Andres Perez de Lara | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
- Pérez de Lara’s Darlington Stats:
NCTS Starts: 1; Best Finish: 16th (2025).
- Rogers’ Darlington Stats:
NCS Starts: 3; Best Finish: 21st (2010).
NOAPS Starts: 10; Best Finish: 13th (2008).
NCTS Starts: 7; Top-10s: 1; Best Finish: 8th (2004).
- On the Truck: Pérez de Lara’s No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Telcel, a Mexican telecommunications giant, along with associate partners, Claro and Infinitum.
- Recapping St. Pete: Andrés Pérez de Lara and the Zambos team were fast all weekend long in St. Petersburg. Starting from 14th, Pérez de Lara moved up quickly and cracked the top-10 towards the beginning of the 150-mile race. Pérez de Lara captured points in both stages, despite noticeable body damage sustained from contact with other competitors. The No. 44 team secured their season-best finish with an impressive seventh-place result.
- Driver Points Outlook: Pérez de Lara continued his march towards the Chase after notching his first top-10 of the season in St. Pete. Entering Darlington, Pérez de Lara sits seventh overall – two points behind Kaden Honeycutt in sixth, and 15 points ahead of Stewart Friesen in eighth. He currently has a 19-point buffer over current cutline driver, Justin Haley.
- Quoting Pérez de Lara: Now that you’ve had a chance to race Darlington before, what are your thoughts about going back and racing there again?
“I think Darlington is such a tough track, but I really enjoyed racing here last year. We had a really strong run last year for my first time racing here, so I expect to keep getting better the more laps I get to run. It’s so fun to drive, and I really enjoy that race. I think our Telcel Chevy will be fast on Friday night, so we just have to stay out of trouble and keep our momentum high.”
About Telcel: Telcel is Mexico’s leading telecommunications company, providing nationwide coverage, cutting-edge mobile connectivity, and high-speed internet services to millions of users. With over 30 years of experience, Telcel continues to innovate in digital communication, offering solutions that keep people connected anytime, anywhere.
No. 45 Buckle Up South Carolina Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Ross Chastain | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
- Welcome Back, Ross: NASCAR Cup Series veteran Ross Chastain will make his first NCTS start of the season in Darlington. Chastain is a five-time race winner in the series, including his most recent victory at this track in 2024. Last year, Chastain made five starts for the team, finishing as high as second at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He looks to grow his schedule this year, competing in a total of eight NCTS races.
- Chastain’s Darlington Stats:
NCS Starts: 13; Top-Fives: 3; Top-10s: 4; Best Finish: 3rd (2021).
NOAPS Starts: 11; Poles: 1 (2018); Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 4; Best Finish: 2nd (2020).
NCTS Starts: 3; Wins: 1 (2024); Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 1.
- Gould’s Darlington Stats:
NOAPS Starts: 6; Best Finish: 11th (2014 & 2015).
NCTS Starts: 7; Wins: 1 (Ross Chastain, 2024); Top-Fives: 4; Top-10s: 4.
- On the Truck: Chastain’s No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. His truck will promote the Buckle Up South Carolina, Click It Don’t Risk It campaign encouraging fans to wear their seat belts.
- Recapping St. Pete: Landen Lewis and the J.F. Electric team turned heads in St. Petersburg. In just his first race driving for Niece Motorsports, and fourth NCTS start overall, Lewis appeared to be a veteran on the racetrack. By finishing third in both stages, Lewis padded the No. 45 team’s position in owner points significantly. The rookie capitalized late by finishing in sixth-place, notching his first-career top-10 finish in the series.
- Owner Points Outlook: Niece Motorsports’ No. 45 team has had a great opening start to the year with drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Landen Lewis. Following Lewis’ sixth-place effort in St. Petersburg, the team sits fourth in owner points, three points behind ThorSport Racing’s No. 99 team in third. The team has a 13-point gap over ThorSport’s No. 88 team in fifth, and a 31-point cushion over Niece Motorsports’ No. 44 team, who currently holds onto the Chase cutline, in 10th.
- Quoting Chastain: This will be a busy weekend for you in Darlington. What are you looking to learn this week by running all three races?
“I love racing at Darlington, and want to start the weekend off right on Friday with our No. 45 Buckle Up South Carolina Chevy. I love everything about it, I love driving down there, it’s pretty close for all of us that live in North Carolina. I have a lot of great memories from winning there a couple years ago, but I want to go be fast. It’s my first time in the truck in a while, so getting back acclimated to the long truck arms and the way the trucks drive will be fun. Luckily, we have two sets of tires in the longer practice session this week, so that should help us get up-to-speed pretty quickly.”
About the South Carolina Department of Public Safety: The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) includes the Highway Patrol, State Transport Police, Bureau of Protective Services, Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame. SCDPS has approximately 1,300 employees serving across the state, providing a wide range of public safety services focused on making South Carolina a safer place to live, work and raise a family.
About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is a professional auto racing team that has competed in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series since 2016. The team is owned by Josh Morris of DQS Solutions and Staffing and the Fowler Family of J.F. Electric and Utilitra, and was founded by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. At its 80,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Salisbury, NC, Niece Motorsports is a full-service race vehicle build shop 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).
