Ross Chastain - 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. 45 Buckle Up South Carolina Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Ross Chastain | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
- Welcome Back, Ross: NASCAR Cup Series veteran Ross Chastain will make his first NCTS start of the season in Darlington. Chastain is a five-time race winner in the series, including his most recent victory at this track in 2024. Last year, Chastain made five starts for the team, finishing as high as second at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He looks to grow his schedule this year, competing in a total of eight NCTS races.
- Chastain’s Darlington Stats:
NCS Starts: 13; Top-Fives: 3; Top-10s: 4; Best Finish: 3rd (2021).
NOAPS Starts: 11; Poles: 1 (2018); Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 4; Best Finish: 2nd (2020).
NCTS Starts: 3; Wins: 1 (2024); Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 1.
- Gould's Darlington Stats:
NOAPS Starts: 6; Best Finish: 11th (2014 & 2015).
NCTS Starts: 7; Wins: 1 (Ross Chastain, 2024); Top-Fives: 4; Top-10s: 4.
- On the Truck: Chastain’s No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. His truck will promote the Buckle Up South Carolina, Click It Don’t Risk It campaign encouraging fans to wear their seat belts.
- Recapping St. Pete: Landen Lewis and the J.F. Electric team turned heads in St. Petersburg. In just his first race driving for Niece Motorsports, and fourth NCTS start overall, Lewis appeared to be a veteran on the racetrack. By finishing third in both stages, Lewis padded the No. 45 team’s position in owner points significantly. The rookie capitalized late by finishing in sixth-place, notching his first-career top-10 finish in the series.
- Owner Points Outlook: Niece Motorsports’ No. 45 team has had a great opening start to the year with drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Landen Lewis. Following Lewis’ sixth-place effort in St. Petersburg, the team sits fourth in owner points, three points behind ThorSport Racing’s No. 99 team in third. The team has a 13-point gap over ThorSport’s No. 88 team in fifth, and a 31-point cushion over Niece Motorsports’ No. 44 team, who currently holds onto the Chase cutline, in 10th.
- Quoting Chastain: This will be a busy weekend for you in Darlington. What are you looking to learn this week by running all three races?
“I love racing at Darlington, and want to start the weekend off right on Friday with our No. 45 Buckle Up South Carolina Chevy. I love everything about it, I love driving down there, it’s pretty close for all of us that live in North Carolina. I have a lot of great memories from winning there a couple years ago, but I want to go be fast. It’s my first time in the truck in a while, so getting back acclimated to the long truck arms and the way the trucks drive will be fun. Luckily, we have two sets of tires in the longer practice session this week, so that should help us get up-to-speed pretty quickly.”
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 the South Carolina Department of Public Safety: The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) includes the Highway Patrol, State Transport Police, Bureau of Protective Services, Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame. SCDPS has approximately 1,300 employees serving across the state, providing a wide range of public safety services focused on making South Carolina a safer place to live, work and raise a family.
