Niece Motorsports NCTS Race Preview: Talladega Superspeedway

NIECE MOTORSPORTS
NCTS RACE ADVANCE: TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
Race: Love’s RV Stop 225 (85 laps / 226.1 miles) | Race 20 of 23
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Location: Lincoln, Alabama
Date & Time: Friday, October 4th | 4:30 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
Bayley Currey
@BayleyCurrey
@BayleyCurrey05

• Currey’s Talladega Stats: Bayley Currey has made three CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Talladega, posting a best result of 15th-place in 2020. Currey has also started four Xfinity Series races at the 2.66-mile restrictor plate track, and earned his series-best finish of 17th at the track in 2022.
• Niece Motorsports Talladega Stats: Niece Motorsports drivers have combined to make 18 NCTS starts at Talladega Superspeedway. The team has picked up a total of two top-fives and four top-10 finishes, with the best result delivered by Trevor Bayne in 2020, when he was the runner-up.
• Rogers’ Talladega Stats: Wally Rogers has called the last five NCTS races at Talladega, and in last year’s race, he earned his best finish with a 10th-place showing made by Lawless Alan. Rogers is a past winner at the super speedway having claimed the victory atop Bobby Labonte’s pit box in the 2007 NXS race. He’s made seven starts in both the Xfinity Series and Cup Series, and nabbed two top-10s on Sundays.
• On the Truck: Currey’s No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from DQS Solutions & Staffing along with Masked Owl Technologies.
• Recapping Kansas: At last, Bayley Currey secured his first top-10 finish of the season at Kansas Speedway. Currey started the night in the 22nd position, but gained track position to finish 15th in stage one. In stage two, his No. 41 Masked Owl Technologies Chevrolet came to life, and he picked up two points with a ninth-place finish in the stage. Currey excelled on the final restart and climbed into the top-five before a green flag pit stop. Passing trucks on differing strategies, Currey navigated his way to a much-needed eighth-place result.
• Points Rundown: Following Currey’s impressive run in Kansas, the driver of the No. 41 picked up a spot in the points standings. Currey enters Talladega seeded 18th, 33 points behind Jake Garcia in 17th. He has a 13-point gap to Ty Dillon, who is scored in 19th.
• Quoting Currey: Are you heading into this weekend with the mentality of ‘going for broke’ for the win?

“I think so. I’ve played the conservative game a lot of times and it never works for me. We were getting all we could get in Daytona, and granted, we did end up getting wrecked at the end, but we were still able to come back for a decent finish. I think we have to go into this weekend to get all we can get. We aren’t in the Playoffs, so might as well. At the same time, I know how fast this truck was at the start of the year, so I really don’t want to tear it up. So we have to play it somewhat smart, but I think all of our guys want us to go out and try to win it.”

• Quoting Rogers: Bayley says he wants to go to the front and stay up there all race. Do you think that’s a good strategy for your group?

“Man, I’ve been on both sides of the strategy at Talladega. I’ve played races out where we’ve stayed up in the lead pack and tried to lead and got wrecked, but I’ve also been wiped out trying to ride in the back. On the other hand, I’ve stayed up front and we’ve won, and have stayed in the back and won. I don’t know if I have an answer on the right way to do it, but we’re going to give it our best shot this week for sure.”
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
Matt Mills Racing
@MattMillsRacing
@MattMillsRacing

• Mills’ Talladega Stats: Matt Mills will make his first Truck Series start at Talladega on Friday. Mills has competed in six Xfinity Series races at this track and secured his series-best finish here of 17th in 2019.
• Leonard’s Talladega Stats: Jon Leonard has called a total of four NCTS races at Talladega Superspeedway since 2020, and he picked up his best finish at the track during his first start with a 17th-place run by Stewart Friesen. Leonard owns a top-10 finish as a Cup Series crew chief at this track which came when he worked with Kasey Kahne in 2018.
• On the Truck: Mills’ No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from longtime partners J.F. Electric and Utilitra.
• Recapping Kansas: Matt Mills’ night out in Kansas was cut short with a hard crash in the third stage of the race. Mills qualified his No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Chevy in 12th and held that spot in the first stage. In stage two, the team lost a few spots to 19th, but was making moves when he was caught up in an incident on the back straightaway. Mills was scored with a 33rd-place finish after he was unable to continue from the wreck.
• Points Rundown: With his 33rd-place finish in Kansas, Mills dropped one spot in points to 23rd and is looking to rebound. Mills is only eight points behind his teammate, Kaden Honeycutt, in 22nd, and has a 53-point buffer to 24th-place Lawless Alan.
• Quoting Mills: Do you use this race as an opportunity to try and snag a win, or are you more looking at it as another shot to learn for Daytona next year?

“Well, for my past experience with super speedway in the teams I’ve been with, our number one goal was to take care of the car. Before this year, I never really had any chance to go to the front and try to stay up there. Being with Niece Motorsports, we can take a bit of a more aggressive approach. Thankfully, having TJ Majors on top of the roof spotting for us – he’s one of the best on super speedways – I think will be very exciting for me to learn from him. Hopefully, we can get together with our teammates and go have a good race.”

• Quoting Leonard: What type of strategy do you think is going to be the best way to go this weekend?

“We’ve got to race. Got to race. I think if we can be up front all day, that’ll be the best approach for us. I think it takes working with people through the first part to build that relationship for the end. You’ve got to know where to be. You can run at the back all day and finish seventh or so if you luck into it, but in order to know who’s trucks drive well and who’s fast, I think you have to know where to put yourself to manipulate air. If you wreck, you wreck; but if you look at the Cup Series guys you always see the same handful of drivers up front and I think that’s for a reason. It’ll be a good shot for us to put our name out there.”

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 Rust-Oleum Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Danny Bohn | Crew Chief: Tom Ackerman
Danny Bohn Racing
@DBohn659
@DannyBohn

• Bohn Returns: SMART Modified Tour ace Danny Bohn returns to the Truck Series with Niece Motorsports this week as he climbs into the No. 44 Chevrolet. Bohn has started 35 NCTS races over the course of his career and is a four-time winner in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour Series. In 2023, Bohn joined forces with the team to attempt the fall race at Bristol Motor Speedway, but is eyeing his first race start in the No. 44.
• Bohn’s Talladega Stats: Danny Bohn has made two prior NCTS starts in Talladega, and in his most recent run in 2021, he walked away with a top-10 finish in eighth-place.
• Ackerman’s Talladega Stats: Niece Motorsports’ Competition Director, Tom Ackerman, returns to the top of the pit box for the No. 44 team at Talladega. In the series’ first race at Talladega, Ackerman navigated Ted Musgrave to a third-place finish in 2006 and has made a total of three starts at the track.
• On the Truck: Bohn’s No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Rust-Oleum and AmeriFast Supply. Bohn has had a longstanding 15-year relationship with Rust-Oleum, having sponsored his dirt racing cars and short track cars since 2009. Bohn’s ‘day job’ is working as a Sales Manager at AmeriFast Supply in Mooresville, NC. AmeriFast Supply also owns the modified car that Bohn races throughout the year.
• Racing SMART: Bohn is scored third in the SMART Modified Tour Series points with two races left to run in the season. In August, he won a race at Carteret County Speedway and is deep into a Playoffs run heading to South Boston Speedway for the penultimate race on October 12th. The series finale will be held the following week at North Wilkesboro Speedway on October 19th.
• Modifieds at the Mad House: Bohn is a past track champion of Bowman Gray Stadium’s Modified division and competes in several races throughout the year at the historic venue. In June, he won a 100-lap feature around the quarter-mile short track.
• Owner’s Points Outlook: Since the team’s first race of the season at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the No. 44 has climbed the owner’s points ladder. Despite having only started four races this year, the part-time truck jumped to 36th in points last week following Conor Daly’s 17th-place finish.
• Quoting Bohn: You’ve had a few good runs on super speedways, so in your past experience, what’s the key to doing that?

“I think you’ve just got to be there at the end. The first time I went to Talladega, we wrecked out on lap 20. So, it’s going to be one of those games where you have to try and race smart throughout the day and hope that you make it towards the end of the race. If you can make it to the last lap, you’ll have a good shot at getting a good finish. At a speedway, there’s a high chance of crashing on any given lap, so avoidance is key to keep yourself in the game.”

• Quoting Ackerman: With there being four team trucks in the field, does that allow you to control your own destiny?

“I think that doesn’t hurt us, but at the end of the day, these races can play out in so many different ways and it’s easy to lose your help quickly depending on how the lanes move. I think Danny has a good idea of how to stay out of trouble here, and if we all get lined up together, that’s going to be great knowing that we can help each other.”

About Rust-Oleum: Rust-Oleum was founded on the principle of creating innovative products. In 1921, sea captain Robert Fergusson noticed that fish oil prevented rust from forming on his ship’s metal deck. Working with a chemist, Fergusson developed one of the world’s first rust-preventive paints and Rust-Oleum was born. Starting with just 24 colors of paint, Rust-Oleum has grown to be a global leader in manufacturing innovative coatings that empower do-it-yourselfers and professionals alike.

About AmeriFast Supply: AmeriFast Supply is a family owned and operated industrial distributor of products such as fasteners, hydraulic fittings, fluids, custom hoses, adhesives, electrical supplies as well as a provider of Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), Custom to Spec™ and kitting services.

No. 45 Moore’s Venture Foods Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Kaden Honeycutt | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
Kaden Honeycutt Racing
@KadenWHoneycutt
@KadenHoneycutt10

• Honeycutt’s Talladega Stats: Kaden Honeycutt has only made one previous NCTS start at Talladega, but in his lone race back in 2021, the driver of the No. 45 finished 11th.
• Gould’s Talladega Stats: Phil Gould has served as crew chief for five CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at Talladega Superspeedway. In 2020, Gould’s team finished second with Trevor Bayne behind the wheel. Gould has called seven Xfinity Series races here with one top-10 earned by Elliott Sadler (seventh) in 2015. The track is the site of his Cup Series debut atop the box which came while working with Ryan Reed in 2016.
• Part-Time Turned Full-Time: Yesterday, Honeycutt was announced as the team’s second addition to its full-time driver lineup for 2025. Having competed in 10 starts this year, Honeycutt’s five top-10s proved to be the most out of any driver in the No. 45 truck. He will finish out the rest of this season to prepare for a Playoffs run next year.
• 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.
• ‘Double Dirty’: Following the conclusion of Friday’s Love’s RV Stop 225, Honeycutt will rush across the street to the Talladega Short Track and compete in the Jerry Goodwin Tribute Race to Beat Cancer with his dirt super late model. Honeycutt plans to race both Friday and Saturday night’s features with the Hunt the Front Dirt Series.
• Recapping Kansas: Kaden Honeycutt had another great showing at Kansas and finished where he did in the spring. Honeycutt started off the day by qualifying sixth and picked up two spots to cross the line fourth in stage one. In stage two, the truck dropped to eighth, but a gutsy strategy call to stay out on the racetrack led to another fourth-place finish.
• Owner Points Outlook: Honeycutt and the No. 45 team came oh-so-close to advancing into the Round of 8, but misfortunes in Bristol left the team five points short of making the cut. The team’s primary focus has since shifted to accumulating as many points as possible for the rest of the year as fifth place is still up for grabs.
• Quoting Honeycutt: Have you ever been in a position to go race your truck and instantly hop in a dirt car on the same day?

“Nope, I’ve never done that. That’s going to be extremely fun for me to do and I can’t wait to go there and race at both the super speedway and the dirt track all in the same day. Thankfully, Talladega isn’t a physically-demanding track for us in the trucks, but it’s all mentally draining. I’ve never raced on the Talladega Short Track before, but it’s different than what I’m used to. There’s red clay, and they’ve added a wall there, so things have changed. I’m really excited to go from track-to-track and hope we can put together some good runs at both.”

• Quoting Gould: Do you think your team needs to go after stage points or is it best to wait till the end?

“I think it’s best to race the whole time. Stage points are nice to chase after since we are still in a points battle of our own, but also, Kaden just needs to learn how to race on the speedways. I’ve seen this before when I was working with Carson (Hocevar). We rode around in the back for his first couple of speedway races, and when it came time for him to race, he really didn’t know what to do. So, I think it’ll be best looking ahead to next year for Kaden to go out and race all day so he’s ready for Daytona.”

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.

About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2024, Niece Motorsports enters its ninth season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as X @NieceMotorsport.