Andrés Pérez de Lara - Slim Jim 200 Race Preview
Event: Slim Jim 200 (200 laps / 105.2 miles)
Round: 24 of 25 (Playoffs Round of 8)
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Location: Ridgeway, Virginia
Date & Time: Friday, October 24 | 6:00 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | NASCAR Racing Network (NRN) | SiriusXM Ch. 90
Team Stats & Notes
- Niece Motorsports Martinsville Stats: Since 2017, Niece drivers have combined to make 34 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) starts at Martinsville Speedway. The team has garnered two top-fives and four top-10s, including a runner-up finish with Ross Chastain in fall, 2019. In the spring race, Matt Mills led the team with a 15th-place result.
- Milestone Start: Friday's Slim Jim 200 will mark the 600th combined start for Niece Motorsports drivers. The team is only behind one active organization, ThorSport Racing, with the most starts in the series.
No. 44 Telcel Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Andrés Pérez de Lara | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
- Pérez de Lara's Martinsville Stats: Andrés Pérez de Lara made his first start at Martinsville back in the spring of this year, and in that event, the rookie picked up his best-career NCTS finish in seventh-place.
- Rogers' Martinsville Stats: Wally Rogers has called 13 NCTS races at Martinsville, including highlights of one top-five and four top-10 finishes. Rogers finished third here in 2005 while working with Ron Hornaday, and was 23rd in the spring with Matt Gould. He has also made one NXS start and nine Cup Series starts at 'The Paperclip'.
- 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 Talladega: Andrés Pérez de Lara and the No. 44 team had promising speed at Talladega, but couldn't catch a break at the end of the race to come away with the result they should have. For his first series start at the track, Pérez de Lara qualified mid-pack but made moves early on. Despite nearly getting cleaned out early on, the rookie climbed inside the top-five, but lost the pack on a green flag pit stop. In the end, the No. 44 crossed the line in 17th.
- Points Rundown: Pérez de Lara dropped one position in points after Talladega, where he is now shown in 16th-place. The rookie is six points behind Matt Crafton in 15th, and 30 points ahead of Dawson Sutton in 17th heading into the penultimate race of the year.
- Quoting Pérez de Lara: You got your best-career finish here back in the spring, so what does that do for your confidence coming back?
“That run in the spring definitely helps our motivation, but I feel like so many things have changed this year. I’m in a really good spot with the whole No. 44 team. We’ve been having some good results, so we just have to put everything together and go execute. I feel like this is a good track for me, and a good track for the team, so we are looking for a really good result. Hopefully we can have a better run than we even had in the spring.”
About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is a professional auto racing team that has competed in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) since 2016. Fielding the Nos. 41, 42, 44 and 45 trucks, the team has garnered nine wins, 50+ top-fives, 100+ top-10s, 200+ top-15 finishes and made five playoff appearances. Founded by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece, the team is owned by Josh Morris of DQS Solutions and Staffing and the Fowler Family of J.F. Electric and Utilitra. 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).
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.
