Niece Motorsports NCTS Race Advance: Bristol Motor Speedway II – Speedway Digest

Event: UNOH 250 Presented by Ohio Logistics (250 laps / 133.25 miles)
Round: 20 of 25 (Playoffs Round of 10)
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Location: Bristol, Tennessee
Date & Time: Thursday, September 11 | 8:00 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | NASCAR Racing Network (NRN) | SiriusXM Ch. 90
Team Stats & Notes

• Niece Motorsports Bristol Stats: Niece drivers have made a combined total of 30 starts at Bristol Motor Speedway. The organization has garnered a total of two top-fives and four top-10 finishes over the years, including a third-place result with Ross Chastain in 2019. In the spring race, Kaden Honeycutt led the team home with an eighth-place run.
  No. 41 Crowe Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST
  Driver: Conner Jones | Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
  Conner Jones Racing
  @ConnerJones88
  @ConnerJones88
  Website
• Jones Returns: Fredericksburg, Virginia native, Conner Jones makes his third NCTS start of the season behind the wheel of Niece Motorsports’ No. 41 entry at Bristol Motor Speedway. An accomplished short track racer, Jones has primarily spent his year competing in the zMAX CARS Tour.
• Jones’ Bristol Stats: Conner Jones has competed in three NCTS races at Bristol. Jones’ best result at the 0.533-mile short track is a 15th-place finish in 2023, and he finished 36th last fall after suffering overheating issues. In three ARCA Menards Series starts at the track, Jones captured two top-10s, including a personal best of sixth in fall, 2023.
• Shiplett’s Bristol Stats: Mike Shiplett has called four NCTS races from atop the pit box in Bristol. Shiplett’s best truck finish is 13th, which came last fall, and he led Matt Mills to a 20th-place effort in the spring of this year. A two-time Bristol winner (fall, 2007 with Kasey Kahne and fall, 2018 with Kyle Larson), Shiplett picked up seven top-fives and eight top-10s in 13 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts. He’s also earned one top-10 in nine Cup Series races.
• Triple Duty Weekend: After Thursday’s NCTS race, Jones will make the drive over to South Boston Speedway to compete in both the zMAX CARS Tour Pro Late Model (PLM) & Late Model Stock (LMSC) Series. Jones currently sits eighth in the LMSC standings after putting a season together with three top-fives and five top-10s. He’s raced part-time in PLM competition this year.
• On the Truck: Jones’ No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Crowe Equipment, a family-owned heavy equipment dealer which specializes in new, used & rebuilt parts.
• Quoting Jones: What makes Bristol a good short track for you to race at?

“I feel like the first time I raced here, it just clicked right off the bat. It’s not necessarily a hard track, but you have grip all the time there and it’s fun to race. I think my short track background definitely helps me out here, because it’s pretty similar to places like Salem and Newport. I’d say that Bristol is different aero-wise, but that’s part of the fun in trying to figure that stuff out.”

About Crowe Equipment: Based in Jasonville, Indiana, Crowe Equipment, Inc. is a family-owned heavy equipment dealer which specializes in new, used & rebuilt parts. To view a full inventory of machinery available online, please visit www.croweequipment.com.
No. 42 J.F. Electric Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Matt Mills | Crew Chief: Landon Polinski
Matt Mills Racing
@MattMillsRacing
@MattMillsRacing
Website

• Mills’ Bristol Stats: Matt Mills has competed in four NCTS races held at Bristol Motor Speedway including his series debut back in 2016. Mills nabbed his best finish at the track in the spring when he crossed the line in 20th-place. Through five NXS starts here, Mills’ best run of 18th-place came in fall, 2019.
• Polinski’s Bristol Stats: Landon Polinski will make his first-career NCTS start as a crew chief at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday.
• NXS Return: Over the off week, Mills competed in the NXS race at World Wide Technology Raceway near the home of J.F. Electric. Driving for DGM Racing, Mills finished 21st in his first race with the series in nearly two years.
• On the Truck: Mills’ No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from longtime partners J.F. Electric, who will be featured as a co-branded primary sponsor along with DQS Solutions & Staffing and Precision Vehicle Logistics.
• Recapping Darlington: Matt Mills and the No. 42 team had their race ended before the end of stage one. Mills started 18th and began to press forward at the start, but incurred damage after picking up a Darlington stripe. On the very next lap, Mills’ right front tire blew apart, forcing him to hit the wall at a high rate of speed. With too much damage to continue on, Mills finished the race in 29th.
• Points Rundown: Mills continues to sit 18th in the driver points standings heading into the 20th race of the season at Bristol. The driver of the No. 42 Silverado is 21 points behind his teammate, Andrés Pérez de Lara, in 17th-place, and 14 points ahead of Jack Wood in 19th.
• Quoting Mills: What notes can you take away from the spring race to bring into the fall?

“Going into Bristol, I feel like I just need to be more prepared in studying, because that’s a track that I’ve honestly always struggled at. But, being that my teammates had speed there in the spring, that tells me that our team has a good package to work off of once we roll off the truck. I’m definitely going to rely on my teammates and try to get some more notes on their end going into it.”

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 Telcel Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Andrés Pérez de Lara | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
@AndresPLG2
@Andres.PLG
Website

• Pérez de Lara’s Bristol Stats: Andrés Pérez de Lara made his first NCTS start at Bristol in the spring of this year, where he finished 19th. Pérez de Lara has competed in three ARCA Menards Series events at the short track, picking up two top-fives and three top-10 finishes along the way. His best ARCA finish of third-place came in 2023.
• Rogers’ Bristol Stats: Wally Rogers has called nine NCTS races at Bristol Motor Speedway, finishing as high as third with Matt Crafton in 2004. In the spring race, Rogers brought Bayley Currey a fast truck which led 14 laps, but finished a disappointing 23rd after mechanical issues. Rogers posted two top-fives (third, twice) and seven top-10s in 13 NXS races at the track. He’s also called 11 Cup Series races here.
• 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 Darlington: Andrés Pérez de Lara and the No. 44 team put forth a noble effort in just their second race together as a group. Pérez de Lara started the event in 20th-place, but quickly adapted to the difficult track and made progress throughout the day. In the third stage, Pérez de Lara was running just outside of the top-10 when he was forced into the wall. After repairing the damage to his Telcel machine, the rookie made up some track position to finish in 16th-place.
• Points Rundown: Pérez de Lara remains 17th in the driver points standings after his 16th-place finish at Darlington Raceway. The rookie is only 14 points behind Matt Crafton in 16th-place, and has a 21-point cushion above his teammate, Matt Mills, in 18th.
• Quoting Pérez de Lara: You’ve said this is one of your favorite racetracks, so what are your expectations for this weekend?

“I think this is one of my favorite racetracks because it’s a place that I know pretty well. I’ve been there many times before, and it’s my favorite oval in the US. I know the team ran really well there in the spring, so our motivation is high. We’re going to go to Bristol and run the best we can, and I think if we can put everything together, that should be a really solid race for us as a whole for our team.”

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 Sparco Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Bayley Currey | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
Bayley Currey
@BayleyCurrey
@BayleyCurrey05
Website

• Currey’s Bristol Stats: Bayley Currey has competed in six NCTS races at Bristol since 2018. Currey’s best finish at the short track is 11th, which was earned in the spring race of last year. Through five NXS starts, his best finish was also 11th in the fall of 2022. Currey has also made two Cup Series starts at ‘The Last Great Colosseum’.
• Gould’s Bristol Stats: Phil Gould has called eight NCTS races at Bristol Motor Speedway, producing two top-fives (best of third with Ross Chastain in 2019) and four top-10 finishes. Gould navigated his No. 45 team to an eighth-place finish in the spring with Kaden Honeycutt behind the wheel. In 12 NXS starts here, Gould has delivered three top-10 finishing results.
• On the Truck: Currey’s No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Sparco, the team’s uniform supplier. Sparco provides Niece Motorsports with driver & pit crew fire suits, gloves, protective underwear, shoes, and more. Bristol marks the first race of the season where Sparco will serve as a primary sponsor for the team.
• Recapping Darlington: Bayley Currey and the No. 45 team fought an uphill battle from the moment the green flag dropped in Darlington. On the initial start, Currey sustained significant damage to both the front and rear ends of his DQS Solutions & Staffing Silverado. Despite pitting numerous times for damage repair, at a racetrack where aero is crucial, the team couldn’t do much to gain speed. As the race continued, Currey was later shoved into the wall by contact from another competitor, which necessitated a green flag pit stop. Currey crossed the line in 25th after a long, hard-fought afternoon.
• Points Rundown: The No. 45 team continues to hold down 11th-place in the owner points standings following Darlington. Entering Bristol, the team has a 48-point lead over ThorSport Racing’s No. 13 entry in 12th-place. In the driver standings, Currey gained three positions in points, now shown in 22nd overall. Currey is 20 points behind Toni Breidinger in 21st, and three points ahead of Luke Baldwin in 23rd.
• Quoting Currey: You had a really fast truck in the spring race when you were on the No. 44 team. Do you think some of that speed can translate over to this team this weekend?

“I think it will The only change I see from the spring race to the fall is where you run on the track due to the PJ1. I know they said they’re going to lay the traction compound down right before our race, which kind of sucks since it will take a little longer for us to move around. I think with the race being longer this time, we should be able to get a good multi-grooved track which will help us out. I think we will have a good shot at running well with our No. 45 Sparco truck.”

Niece Motorsports PR