Ben Maier - LiUNA! 150 Race Preview
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 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).
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.
