Ross Chastain - Bully Hill Vineyards 167 at The Glen Race Preview
Event: Bully Hill Vineyards 167 at The Glen (72 laps / 167.4 miles)
Round: 8 of 25 (Regular Season)
Track: Watkins Glen International
Location: Watkins Glen, New York
Date & Time: Friday, May 8 | 4:30 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | NASCAR Racing Network (NRN) | SiriusXM Ch. 90
Team Stats & Notes
- Niece Motorsports Watkins Glen Stats:
NOAPS Starts: 1; Best Finish: 31st (Victor Gonzales Jr., 2018).
NCTS Starts: 6; Top-10s: 3; Best Finish: 8th (Connor Zilisch, 2025).
- Double Take: For the second time in three races, Niece Motorsports will field two full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers in the NCTS race on Friday. Shane van Gisbergen takes over the No. 4 Chevrolet, while Ross Chastain remains in the No. 45 Silverado. Both Trackhouse Racing drivers will pull a ‘triple-duty’ weekend and also compete in Saturday’s NOAPS race.
- Pit Road Gladiators: Niece Motorsports pit crews continued their hot streak in Texas last week, proving why they are some of the best in the business. The No. 44 team put up the first, second, and fourth-fastest four-tire stops of the night, with the No. 45 team also completing two stops inside the top-10 as well.
No. 45 Protect Your Melon New York Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Ross Chastain | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
- Chastain’s Watkins Glen Stats:
NCS Starts: 7; Poles: 1 (2024); Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 2; Best Finish: 4th (2024).
NOAPS Starts: 8; Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 2; Best Finish: 4th (2023).
NCTS Starts: 1; Best Finish: 30th (2025).
- Gould's Watkins Glen Stats:
NOAPS Starts: 6; Top-10s: 4; Best Finish: 8th (twice - 2015 & 2018).
NCTS Starts: 2; Top-10s: 2; Best Finish: 8th (2025).
- On the Truck: Chastain’s No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from the New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee which promotes the Protect Your Melon campaign.
- Recapping Texas: Ross Chastain and the TXAPA / J.F. Electric team contended for the race lead in Texas but had to limp home after sustaining damage from contact with other competitors. Chastain started 23rd, but quickly sliced his way through the pack in the opening stage. The No. 45 team made several adjustments to help the balance of the truck, but it lacked top-end speed due to the damage. Chastain was nearly spun in turn four during the final stage, but held on to his truck and crossed the finish line in 12th-place.
- Owner Points Outlook: Chastain’s 12th-place finish in Texas dropped the No. 45 team one position in the owner points standings to third-place. Heading into Watkins Glen, the team is 12 points out of the lead, and 10 points behind TRICON Garage’s No. 11 team in second place. They have a four point lead on Front Row Motorsports’ No. 38 team in fourth, along with a 35-point buffer over the Chase cutline.
- Quoting Chastain: You were pretty fast here last year until you ran into the fuel pickup issue, so are you optimistic for this weekend’s race?
“Yeah, absolutely. I love Watkins Glen, and I feel like the truck fits that track well. There is a lot of on-throttle time up through the esses, and I thought we had a shot last year. We definitely had a top-couple truck until we had the fuel issue, so I’d love to go back there and see what we’ve got this time around with our Protect Your Melon Silverado.”
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 New York State Governor's Traffic Safety Committee: The New York State Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) coordinates traffic safety activities in the state and shares useful, timely information about traffic safety and the state's highway safety grant program.
The Committee is comprised of thirteen agencies who have missions related to transportation and safety. The GTSC is chaired by the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles and acts as the state's official liaison with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
