Niece Motorsports NCTS Race Preview: Homestead-Miami Speedway

NIECE MOTORSPORTS
NCTS RACE ADVANCE: HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
Race: Baptist Health 200 (134 laps / 201 miles) | Race 21 of 23
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Location: Homestead, Florida
Date & Time: Saturday, October 26th | 12:00 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | Motor Racing Network (MRN) | Sirius XM Ch. 90

No. 41 Masked Owl Technologies / DQS Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Bayley Currey | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
Bayley Currey
@BayleyCurrey
@BayleyCurrey05

• Currey’s Homestead Stats: Bayley Currey has started two NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Currey earned his track-best finish in last year’s event with an impressive fifth-place result. In four Xfinity Series starts here, Currey’s best finish is 13th (2022).
• Niece Motorsports’ Homestead Stats: Niece Motorsports drivers have combined to make a total of 16 NCTS starts at Homestead-Miami. The organization is the defending race winner following a late charge by Carson Hocevar in last year’s 200-mile event. Four top-fives and five top-10s have been scored by Niece at this track since 2017.
• Rogers’ Homestead Stats: Wally Rogers has called seven NCTS races at Homestead-Miami with a stat sheet of one top-five and two top-10 finishes. Rogers earned his series-best track finish (fifth) in his first start with Matt Crafton in 2004 and finished 19th with Lawless Alan last year. Rogers has competed in five Xfinity Series races at Homestead, with highlights including one top-10 (Randy LaJoie; sixth in 2002) and one pole with Greg Biffle in ’03. He’s also made a handful of Cup starts at the 1.5-mile track.
• On the Truck: Currey’s No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Masked Owl Technologies and DQS Solutions & Staffing.
• Recapping Talladega: Bayley Currey and the No. 41 team had to overcome several issues throughout the day at Talladega. After qualifying 32nd, the DQS crew changed an engine before the start of the race. Having to start shotgun on the field, Currey began to pass trucks early in stage one before he ran over debris with a cut right front tire. While on pit road, his truck suffered terminal damage to the rear gear, dropping him out of the race with a 36th-place finish.
• Points Rundown: Following Currey’s 36th-place result in Talladega, the driver of the No. 41 Chevy dropped one spot in the championship points standings. Heading into Homestead-Miami, Currey sits 19th overall, just eleven points behind Bret Holmes in 18th. Currey has a 15-point gap over Ty Dillon who is currently scored 20th.
• Quoting Currey: Since you’re taking the same truck that you raced with in Kansas to Homestead, does that raise your expectations this week?

“I think it does. We had a bad fast piece last time we raced this truck in Kansas and I think both tracks are similar in a sense that we have so many options in which lanes we want to run. I’m hoping that we can unload similarly and keep up with the adjustments throughout the day. It’s going to be a lot hotter this weekend, so we should be slipping around a little more and I think that will be even better for me. Last year we had another great truck and got out of there with a top-five, so hopefully we can do it again with our Masked Owl / DQS Chevy.”

• Quoting Rogers: Thoughts on competing at Homestead-Miami Speedway:

“I’m looking forward to Homestead especially since we are taking the same truck that we ran at Kansas. As a company, we have ran well there in the past so hopefully we can continue that this week. Tire strategy and track position will be key to having a good finish. If your truck handles well and with multiple grooves, that opens up some passing opportunities. Hopefully we can repeat what we did in Kansas and get our Masked Owl / DQS Silverado a good finish.”
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 Utilitra / J.F. Electric Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Matt Mills | Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
Matt Mills Racing
@MattMillsRacing
@MattMillsRacing

• Competition Changes: Beginning this week at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the No. 42 team will be led by a new crew chief. Mike Shiplett, an industry veteran with 26 national series wins to his credit, has assumed this new role after departing Bret Holmes Racing. Shiplett has won several NASCAR Xfinity Series races with Evernham Motorsports, Chip Ganassi Racing, and most recently, Stewart-Haas Racing. He has also won races in the Cup & Truck Series atop the box in his career of 15-plus years.

Conversely, Jon Leonard remains with the organization to take on the crew chief role for the No. 44 team. Leonard called the first 20 races of the season for Mills and the No. 42 team which resulted in one top-five and two top-10 finishes.

• Mills’ Homestead Stats: Matt Mills will make his first Truck Series start at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend. Mills has competed in five Xfinity Series races here, finishing as high as 24th in the second part of the double-header event in 2020.
• Shiplett’s Homestead Stats: Mike Shiplett will call his first Truck Series race at Homestead on Saturday but has plenty of experience at this 1.5-mile track. Shiplett has made eight NXS starts here and owns one win (Kyle Larson, 2015) and one pole (Tyler Reddick, 2017). In total, Shiplett’s drivers picked up four top-fives and five top-10s in the Xfinity Series. He has also called four Cup Series races here, posting one top-five with AJ Allmendinger in 2010.
• On the Truck: Mills’ No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from longtime partners Utilitra and J.F. Electric. This will be the second race of the 2024 season which sees Utilitra showcased as his primary partner on the hood.
• Breast Cancer Awareness: There’s a new look to the No. 42 Silverado this week as the traditional red color swatches have been replaced with bright pink in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Utilitra, the woman-owned company who will serve as Mills’ primary sponsor, has been a large supporter of the American Cancer Society for several years.
• Recapping Talladega: Matt Mills and the No. 42 team had a great showing at Talladega, but were involved in ‘the big one’. Mills qualified highest of all Niece Motorsports trucks in eighth, and jumped to the lead of the outside lane. The No. 42 held onto the lead to win stage one, marking his first-career stage victory. In stage two, Mills had a masterful save, but dropped to 16th. After a round of green flag pitstops, chaos ensued entering turn one and he was collected. With too much damage to continue, Mills was forced out in 31st.
• Points Rundown: Leaving Talladega with a stage win in the bag, Matt Mills remains 23rd in the championship standings for another week. Mills gained ground on his nearest competitor, Timmy Hill in 22nd, with the deficit now only nine points between the two heading into Homestead-Miami. The driver of the No. 42 leads 24th-place’s Lawless Alan by a 26-point gap.
• Quoting Mills: How much of a confidence boost did you get from winning your first stage last race in Talladega?

“That was pretty cool. We’ve had speed all year, but to finally get a result out of it – regardless of the finish of the race, was great. It was my first stage win, and I feel like that can add to our momentum going out there with a fast truck. That was a confidence builder for me, knowing that we had the speed and what our team is capable at Niece Motorsports was definitely pretty cool.”

• Quoting Shiplett: On his midseason transition to Niece Motorsports:

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work at Niece Motorsports with Matt Mills. I see a lot of talent in Matt, and I’m mainly trying to help him showcase that talent and get some better finishes to end the year here strong. We want to focus heavily on these next three races to understand what we need to work on to be stronger heading into 2025.”

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.

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.

No. 44 Polkadot Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Conor Daly | Crew Chief: Jon Leonard
Conor Daly
@ConorDaly22
@ConorDaly22

• Daly Returns: NTT INDYCAR SERIES veteran Conor Daly plans to make his final NCTS start of the season on Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Daly has competed in two other races with Niece Motorsports this year – finishing 29th at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and more recently, 17th at Kansas Speedway.
• Daly Homestead Stats: Conor Daly will make his first start in any series at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Saturday’s Baptist Health 200.
• Leonard’s Homestead Stats: Jon Leonard has called one prior Truck Series race at Homestead which resulted in an impressive third-place finish by Stewart Friesen in 2022. Leonard has also called two Cup Series races at this track, posting a best result of 24th with Michael McDowell in 2017.
• On the Truck: Daly’s No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Polkadot. Polkadot is a digital platform designed to build a more inclusive and transparent internet, where power and decision-making are in the hands of its users. Polkadot utilizes a public governance platform to empower its community of 1.3 million members to directly control all steps of the decision-making process, even when it comes to the largest global marketing initiatives.
• Local Partnership Connections: Daly’s primary partner, Polkadot, is a large supporter of sports teams in the Miami area. The company is the Official Global Training Partner of Inter Miami CF, a prominent team in Major League Soccer. Daly plans to visit Chase Stadium, the home of Inter Miami CF, following practice/qualifying day to film content with the team.
• Owner Points Outlook: The part-time No. 44 truck out of the Niece Motorsports stable remains 34th in the owner’s points standings after making its fifth start of the year at Talladega. Daly, along with Danny Bohn, Bayley Currey, and Matt Gould have all shared time behind the wheel of the No. 44 entry. Currey is earmarked as the driver with the best result having finished 15th at Bristol Motor Speedway last month.
• Quoting Daly: Do you think your experience of running up near the wall in Kansas will help you in Homestead?

“I’m excited to get to Homestead only because I’ve watched this race so many years and it’s always been an exciting product, no matter what rank of the NASCAR ladder it is – whether its the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, or the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. It’s my last race of the 2024 season as well, so I want to finish on a strong note. I thought I learned a lot at Kansas for sure, and learned a lot about the rules as well which I can use in the future.

We just want to try and take advantage of the practice session as quick as possible. It’s a new track for me, somewhere I’ve never driven before, but definitely ran the wall a lot at Kansas so hopefully that helps me. We want to obviously continue to try to better my best truck finish in my career and then hopefully we can slide into the top-10 this weekend.”

• Quoting Leonard: What will be your biggest advantage in working with different drivers to end the year?

“I’d say that opportunity will help improve my repertoire so to say. Everyone drives a bit different and uses their own set of terms, so learning those different characteristics will be useful. Whether it’s in-house at the shop, different drivers, spotters, or crew members, I’d say working with different people is a good thing. We’ll see what we can put together with the No. 44 team to close the year out on a high note.”

About Polkadot: Polkadot is the powerful, secure core of Web3, providing a shared foundation that unites some of the world’s most transformative apps and blockchains. Polkadot is the first of its kind — modular, resilient, interoperable — but governed by its users, the biggest Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) in the world. It enables Web3’s biggest innovators to have one place and to get their ideas to market fast, with flexible start-up costs and an exceptionally flexible builder environment. Today, Polkadot attracts best-in-class teams building stand-out apps like Mythical, Frequency, Moonbeam, Astar, and more.

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

• Honeycutt’s Homestead Stats: Kaden Honeycutt has made one prior NCTS start at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he finished 27th after qualifying in the top-15 in 2022.
• Gould’s Homestead Stats: Phil Gould is the defending race-winning crew chief at Homestead and has made a total of four NCTS starts atop the pit box here. Including last year’s win with Carson Hocevar, Gould has two top-fives and three top-10 results in the Truck Series. In six Xfinity Series races, Gould’s best result was a 10th-place run with Brian Scott in 2014.
• CARS Tour PLM Champion: Over the course of the final two CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series season, Kaden Honeycutt made up a sizable points deficit to propel him into the championship spotlight. Honeycutt drove to victory lane in the final two races at Tri-County and North Wilkesboro, making it three wins total on the year. He entered the finale six points behind the series leader, but put together a perfect race that enabled him to win the title in thrilling fashion.
• 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.
• Recapping Talladega: Kaden Honeycutt and the No. 45 team played a great strategy game in Talladega, but were struck with heavy front end damage on a green flag pit stop cycle. Honeycutt qualified 18th and finished there in stage one. In stage two, the No. 45 cycled to 13th, and following pit stops, they were leading the race. Unfortunately, when the race restarted after a large crash, the damage hindered his ability to stay in the lead pack. He was credited with 19th.
• Owner Points Outlook: Heading into the 21st race of the season, the No. 45 team is slotted ninth in the owner points standings. Honeycutt’s 19th-place finish in Talladega was good enough to gain the team a spot in points, where they now are six markers ahead of Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 team in 10th.
• Quoting Honeycutt: How much of a boost does winning the CARS Tour championship help your Truck Series efforts?

“I am extremely confident in what we have going to Homestead for this weekend with our Moore’s Venture Foods Chevrolet. After winning the CARS Tour Pro Late Model championship, I have even more confidence in myself for the rest of the year going with this No. 45 Niece group to win races. It’s been a couple years since I’ve gone to Homestead, but I know we will have a really solid truck to start off with for me to adapt quickly and practice and qualify up front to give us a chance to win. That’s all we were wanting to do for the rest of the year. This is a building year so we can have a lot of good notes going into 2025. I look forward to Friday and Saturday.”

• Quoting Gould: Is there anything specifically that you can do setup-wise that help minimize your tire wear here?

“I think the biggest thing we can do is make sure that the truck is as balanced as possible. We want to try and have all four tires get to wear evenly here to get the most use out of them. Typically, we run less camber at Homestead to help with our longevity and speed throughout a full run.”

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.