Conner Jones - Buckle Up South Carolina 200 Race Preview
Event: Buckle Up South Carolina 200 (147 laps / 200.8 miles)
Round: 4 of 25 (Regular Season)
Track: Darlington Raceway
Location: Darlington, SC
Date & Time: Friday, March 20 | 7:30 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | NASCAR Racing Network (NRN) | SiriusXM Ch. 90
Team Stats & Notes
- Niece Motorsports Darlington Stats:
NCTS Starts: 24; Wins: 1 (Ross Chastain, 2024); Top-Fives: 4; Top-10s: 4.
- Rolling Momentum: Niece Motorsports drivers have made waves throughout the first three races of the season. Both the Nos. 45 and 44 teams are currently above the Chase cutline, seeded fourth and 10th, respectively. The team has captured four top-10 finishes to open the year - including a pair in the last outing at St. Petersburg.
- Presenting Sponsor: Friday’s race in Darlington will be presented by Niece Motorsports’ primary partners at the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. The Buckle Up South Carolina 200 is a key race for the team, as it will represent the partners on the No. 45 Chevrolet.
No. 42 DQS Solutions & Staffing Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Conner Jones | Crew Chief: Landon Polinski
- Welcome Back, Conner: Conner Jones returns to Niece Motorsports this weekend to make his first start of the 2026 NCTS season at Darlington Raceway. Jones will split driving duties of the No. 42 Silverado with fellow drivers Tyler Reif, Parker Eatmon, and Travis Pastrana. He made five starts for the team last year, finishing as high as 18th at Bristol Motor Speedway.
- Jones’ Darlington Stats:
NCTS Starts: 1; Best Finish: 24th (2024).
- Polinski's Darlington Stats:
NCTS Starts: 1; Best Finish: 29th (2025).
- On the Truck: Jones’ No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from DQS Solutions & Staffing. This weekend will be the first race that DQS will serve as a primary partner for the team this year.
- Recapping St. Pete: Tyler Reif and the AutoVentive / Precision team fought hard all day long in St. Petersburg. Initially slated to start the race from 18th, Reif had to drop to the tail of the field during the opening pace laps due to an issue with the starter on his truck. Reif and team never gave up and kept working at it resiliently, which kept them in the hunt. Despite having to start from the tail on numerous occasions, the No. 42 crossed the line with a respectable result in 16th-place.
- Owner Points Outlook: Following the third race of the season in St. Petersburg, the No. 42 team dropped one spot back to 20th in the owner points standings. The team is currently one point behind McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s No. 18 Chevrolet and Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 truck, who are both tied for 18th-place in points. The team leads ThorSport Racing’s No. 98 truck in 21st by a five-point gap.
- Quoting Jones: What makes Darlington such a tricky intermediate track to race on?
“I think it’s mainly because you have to run right up against the wall, and with the steel bodies on these trucks, if you just touch it, you’re going to get a tire rub and eventually blow a tire. Darlington is a very line-sensitive race track. You can’t really run the bottom quickly, and you need to stick to the top and send it. I really like driving here; it’s a lot more fun to drive by yourself at this track as opposed to your standard mile-and-a-half. It’s super challenging to pass here though, so it can be frustrating at times. You’re just up on the wheel the whole time, wrestling it and trying to get it to turn, all while trying to save tires. It’s going to be a fun race for us on Friday.”
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 DQS Solutions & Staffing: Guided by a mission to achieve excellence and adaptability, DQS partners with clients to create custom solutions that address unique business challenges. Recognized as Michigan’s fastest-growing company and #22 in the nation on the Inc. 5000 list, DQS drives industry growth while giving back through its nonprofit, Foundation for Pops, and partnerships like the River Rouge School District.
