NCTS RACE PREVIEW: LIME ROCK PARK
Event: LiUNA! 150 (100 laps / 147.8 miles)
Round: 14 of 25 (Regular Season)
Track: Lime Rock Park
Location: Lakeville, CT
Date & Time: Saturday, June 11 | 1:00 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | NASCAR Racing Network (NRN) | SiriusXM Ch. 90
Team Stats & Notes
- Niece Motorsports Lime Rock Stats:
NCTS Starts: 3; Top-10s: 1; Best Finish: 7th (2025).
- Non-Competitive Pit Stops: Unlike most other races on the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) calendar, Saturday’s LiUNA! 150 won’t feature traditional pit stops. Since pit crews will be in Atlanta for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race, the team’s road crew mechanics will lead the charge in servicing the trucks on pit road.
No. 42 Executive Chevrolet Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Ben Maier | Crew Chief: Landon Polinski
- Maier Returns: 17-year old Ben Maier returns to Niece Motorsports to make his second NCTS start of the season this weekend at Lime Rock Park. Maier, who was born in Chester, MD, made his first start with the team at St. Petersburg, finishing in 11th-place. He is the reigning CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series champion.
- Maier’s Lime Rock Stats:
NCTS Starts: 1; Best Finish: 18th (2025).
Trans-Am TA2 Starts: 3; Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 2; Best Finish: 2nd (2026).
- Polinski’s NASCAR Road Course Stats:
Landon Polinski will make his first NCTS start as a crew chief at Lime Rock on Saturday.
- On the Truck: Maier’s No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Executive Chevrolet, a Chevrolet dealer based in nearby Wallingford, CT – just under one hour away from the racetrack.
- Recapping San Diego: Tyler Reif and the Niece Equipment / Foundation For Pops team had the win in their sights, but suffered a crushing blow in the final corner at San Diego. Reif started the race in 14th and ran a smooth and consistent race through the opening two stages. With finishes of 10th in stage one and sixth in stage two, the No. 42 team performed well throughout the midway portion of the race. Through the final laps, Reif was in position to capitalize on a podium finish. When the leaders got together, however, a door opened up for the rookie to take the lead coming to the white flag. Reif drove as hard as possible on the last lap in hopes of securing his first-career win, but made a costly error and overshot the final corner. After crawling to a stop, Reif initially crossed the line in seventh, but was dealt a 30-second time penalty which dropped him to 19th.
- Owner Points Outlook: Reif’s performance in San Diego elevated the No. 42 team to 24th-place in the owner point standings. Entering Lime Rock, the team is 22 points behind TRICON Garage’s No. 15 team in 23rd, and eight points ahead of Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 team in 25th. With five races remaining in the regular season, the team is 129 points below the Chase cutline.
- Quoting Maier: Your first race with the team went really well in St. Pete and you have a lot of experience at Lime Rock, so how do you feel about your chances this week?
“I’m excited to go into Lime Rock, it’s a track that I’m pretty comfortable at. I’ve ran a lot of Trans-Am TA2 races here, and I think the track is really fun. It’s hard to pass just because it’s so narrow and super high speed, but it’s always fun to drive. I’m thankful to have the support from Executive Chevrolet this weekend, and really look forward to getting on track with our No. 42 Silverado on Saturday.”
About Executive Chevrolet: Executive Chevrolet is a community where team members and clients share a passion for driving. The dealership’s commitment to exceptional client service has made it a trusted destination for drivers throughout Wallingford, Hamden, and Cheshire, Connecticut.
No. 44 DQS Solutions & Staffing Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Andrés Perez de Lara | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
- Pérez de Lara’s Lime Rock Stats:
NCTS Starts: 1; Best Finish: 17th (2025).
- Rogers’ Lime Rock Stats:
NCTS Starts: 1; Top-10s: 1; Best Finish: 7th (2025).
- On the Truck: Pérez de Lara’s No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from DQS Solutions & Staffing for the first time this season.
- Recapping San Diego: Andrés Pérez de Lara and the Acceptance Insurance team put up a fight for a solid finish in San Diego, but late-race contact sent the driver down the final running order. Pérez de Lara qualified inside the top-10 and ran well throughout the opening two stages with finishes of eighth and fifth, respectively. The No. 44 team had hopes of a top-10 finish, but lost track position after being dealt a pit road penalty with few laps remaining. While working his way back through the field, Pérez de Lara made contact with another competitor and was spun into the wall on an overtime restart. The resulting damage hindered the team to a 21st-place finish.
- Driver Points Outlook: With the help of some added stage points found in San Diego, Pérez de Lara has re-emerged into the Chase picture with only a handful of races left until the postseason begins. After gaining 20 points to the cutline in the last race, Pérez de Lara is 33 points out in 16th-place. He is 11 points behind Justin Haley in 15th, and four points ahead of Tanner Gray in 17th.
- Quoting Pérez de Lara: When comparing Lime Rock to some of the other road courses, what is something you need to watch out for on this track?
“I’d say track position and restarts are going to be the most important things to watch for in Lime Rock. It’s a very small, very tricky track, so you want to stay up front as much as you can and take care of your tires. If you kill the rear tires, you’re done for the rest of the stint. We were fast in practice and qualifying here last year, but fell back in the race. I’ll look to have some more pace this time around.”
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. 45 J.F. Electric Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Landen Lewis | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
- Lewis’ Lime Rock Stats:
Landen Lewis will make his first-career NCTS start at Lime Rock on Saturday.
Trans-Am Starts: 1; Best Finish: 26th (2026).
- Gould’s Lime Rock Stats:
NCTS Starts: 1; Best Finish: 12th (2025).
- On the Truck: Lewis’ No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from J.F. Electric and Utilitra, who serve as his anchor partners for the season.
- Recapping San Diego: Landen Lewis and the J.F. Electric team overcame adversity and came home with a solid result in San Diego. Despite qualifying ninth, the team started the race from the tail of the field due to unapproved changes after Lewis made heavy contact with the wall at the end of the qualifying session. Not to be deterred, Lewis climbed back up to ninth in the first stage, and elected to ‘flip the stage’ by pitting before the conclusion of stage two. The No. 45 team rallied back inside the top-10 for the overtime restart, and Lewis made daring moves to get into the picture. Lewis brought the truck across the line in fourth-place, notching his career-best NCTS finish.
- Owner Points Outlook: Lewis’ top-five finish in San Diego brought the No. 45 team closer to their nearest competitors in the owner point standings. Ahead of Lime Rock, the team remains in eighth-place overall, just two points behind McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s No. 91 Chevrolet in seventh and four points behind TRICON Garage’s No. 17 team in sixth. The team has a 43-point lead over Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chevrolet in ninth, and sits 56 points over the cutline.
- Quoting Lewis: A couple of months ago, you got to run the Trans-Am race at this track. How much did that experience help you prepare for your first truck race here?
“Well, I think the first thing that race helped me with is getting familiar with the track and learning all the corners. I think that helped me a ton with the driving part that I feel like I struggled with at St. Pete. I worked super hard after that race and made a gain on it, so I’m looking forward to returning to Lime Rock.”
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 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).
