NIECE MOTORSPORTS
NCTS RACE PREVIEW: DOVER MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Event: Ecosave 200 (200 laps / 200 miles)
Round: 9 of 25 (Regular Season)
Track: Dover Motor Speedway
Location: Dover, Delaware
Date & Time: Friday, May 15 | 5:00 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | NASCAR Racing Network (NRN) | SiriusXM Ch. 90
Team Stats & Notes
- Niece Motorsports Dover Stats:
NCTS Starts: 8; Top-10s: 1; Best Finish: 10th (Ross Chastain, 2019).
- Back to the Monster Mile: Friday’s Ecosave 200 will mark the first time that the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) has raced at Dover Motor Speedway since 2020.
No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Parker Eatmon | Crew Chief: Landon Polinski
- Eatmon Returns: zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Series regular Parker Eatmon returns to the seat of Niece Motorsports’ No. 42 Chevrolet for his second-career NCTS start at Dover Motor Speedway. Eatmon made his series debut at Rockingham Speedway last month and turned heads after nailing an impressive top-10 qualifying run. He followed that performance up by leading over 120 laps in the CARS Tour race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, nearly earning his first win.
- Eatmon’s Dover Stats:
Parker Eatmon will make his first-career start in any series at Dover on Friday.
- Polinski’s Dover Stats:
Landon Polinski will call his first-career race as a crew chief at Dover on Friday.
- On the Truck: Eatmon’s No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with associate support from Vetted Ventures, J.F. Electric, and DQS Solutions & Staffing.
- Recapping Watkins Glen: Tyler Reif and the J.F. Electric team had a strong run going in Watkins Glen and came home with a top-15 finish. Reif qualified in 20th, but had to start from the tail of the field after the team changed the brake pads and rotors on his truck. The rookie made ground and passed several trucks throughout the day, proving his race craft and raw pace. On a late restart, Reif lined up inside the top-10, but sustained heavy damage after contact from other trucks. The No. 42 team made repairs and kept Reif in the hunt despite the damage. He crossed the finish line in 14th-place.
- Owner Points Outlook: Reif’s 14th-place finish in Watkins Glen elevated the No. 42 team one position to 26th-place in the owner standings. Heading into Dover, the team is five points behind Rackley W.A.R.’s No. 26 Silverado in 25th, and is two points ahead of Kaulig Racing’s No. 14 truck in 27th. The team is 98 points behind ThorSport Racing’s No. 99 team who holds onto the final spot in the Chase.
- Quoting Eatmon: You’ve never raced Dover before, but got some experience at another track with a lot of on-throttle time at Rockingham. Do you think these tracks are similar?
“Yeah, I definitely think these two tracks are pretty similar. I’ve been talking to Landon (Polinski) and Phil (Gould), and they both agree that these tracks have a lot of similar characteristics to them, so they think we should be pretty fast this weekend. I’ve been looking forward to racing at the Monster Mile because it’s such a historic track. With the track surface being concrete, it seems like it will be a really cool place to race at.”
About Vetted Ventures: Vetted Ventures is a pioneer in revolutionizing private sales and acquisitions management through an ecosystem of exclusive clients with the ability to be represented by one company across different industries. We aim to provide our clients with the opportunities they seek backed by the service they deserve. To learn more about the company, please visit www.Vetted-Ventures.com.
No. 44 Precision Vehicle Logistics De Mexico Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Andres Perez de Lara | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
- Pérez de Lara’s Dover Stats:
ARCA Starts: 1; Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 1; Best Finish: 5th (2024).
- Rogers’ Dover Stats:
NCS Starts: 6; Best Finish: 28th (2010).
NOAPS Starts: 12; Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 5; Best Finish: 5th (2006).
NCTS Starts: 4; Top-10s: 1; Best Finish: 7th (2006).
- On the Truck: Pérez de Lara’s No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Precision Vehicle Logistics De Mexico. The company works directly with auto manufacturers to transport newly-assembled cars and trucks to dealerships.
- Recapping Watkins Glen: Andrés Pérez de Lara and the BLAC / GoKartMania Academy team brought a fast truck to Watkins Glen. Though he started in 22nd, Pérez de Lara was quick in the race and advanced his position at a rapid pace. The sophomore driver scored much-needed points in both stages. While running inside the top-10 late, the No. 44 Silverado was clipped in an incident which prompted an untimely pit stop. Pérez de Lara recovered at the finish, and came home in 13th-place.
- Driver Points Outlook: After picking up stage points and walking away with a solid finish at Watkins Glen, Pérez de Lara jumped two positions in the point standings up to 15th-place. Entering Dover, the driver is 11 points behind Justin Haley in 14th, and 12 points ahead of Tanner Gray in 16th. He is currently 32 points below Chase cutline driver, Daniel Hemric with 10 races left in the regular season.
- Quoting Pérez de Lara: This will be the first time that the Truck Series has raced at Dover in a while, but you have experience here in an ARCA car. What do you think about this place?
“Dover is a very fast track. It’s definitely a little bit intimidating at first, but I really enjoy the racing there. When I got to run the ARCA race here, I had a lot of fun, so I think it will be another fun race this weekend in the truck. I enjoy racing at the concrete tracks, and hope we unload with a lot of speed in our Precision De Mexico Chevy.”
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 Drive Sober Arrive Alive DE Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Ross Chastain | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
- Chastain’s Dover Stats:
NCS Starts: 11; Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 2; Best Finish: 2nd (2023).
NOAPS Starts: 13; Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 2; Best Finish: 2nd (2020).
NCTS Starts: 4; Top-10s: 1; Best Finish: 10th (2019).
- Gould’s Dover Stats:
NOAPS Starts: 12; Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 5; Best Finish: 5th (2017).
NCTS Starts: 2; Top-10s: 1; Best Finish: 10th (2019).
- On the Truck: Chastain’s No. 45 Chevrolet will race with support from the Delaware Office of Highway Safety. His truck promotes their ‘Drive Sober. Arrive Alive DE’ campaign, a program which encourages sober driving.
- Recapping Watkins Glen: Ross Chastain and the Protect Your Melon team fought for the race win in Watkins Glen, but were unable to see the end of the race. Chastain started from the rear of the field after discovering an electrical issue in qualifying, but it did not take his team long to strategize a way to the front of the field. After finishing sixth in stage one, the No. 45 team elected to flip the second stage to gain track position. Chastain took the lead for a total of 17 laps in the final stage and was controlling the race when he was dealt a costly restart violation penalty. While he was working his way through the field, contact from another competitor sent Chastain careening hard into the wall, resulting in a disappointing 28th-place finish.
- Owner Points Outlook: Following Chastain’s crash at Watkins Glen, the No. 45 team dropped three positions in the owner points standings to sixth-place. Ahead of the Dover race weekend, the team is eight points behind Front Row Motorsports’ No. 34 truck in fifth, and four points ahead of TRICON Garage’s No. 17 team in seventh. The No. 45 team currently has a 36-point gap over the Chase cutline.
- Quoting Chastain: What makes Dover such a challenging track?
“Since Dover is concrete, you have to be on your toes at all times and push your truck to get to the limit every lap. It’s part of what makes this track so much fun, because you have to hit your marks every corner to get the most out of it. It’s been a while since I got to race a truck around Dover, so I’m looking forward to returning this weekend with our Drive Sober Arrive Alive Delaware Silverado.”
About The Delaware Office of Highway Safety: The Delaware Office of Highway Safety was established on July 19, 1968. We are a division of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security and funded by federal grants from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. By focusing our efforts on the state’s identified highway safety priority areas, developing statewide partnerships and increasing the public’s awareness of safe driving habits, the Office of Highway Safety is striving to make Delaware’s roadways the safest in the country.
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).
