Ross Chastain - Tennessee Army National Guard 250 Race Preview
Event: Tennessee Army National Guard 250 (250 laps / 133.25 miles)
Round: 6 of 25 (Regular Season)
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Location: Bristol, TN
Date & Time: Friday, April 10 | 7:30 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | NASCAR Racing Network (NRN) | SiriusXM Ch. 90
Team Stats & Notes
- Niece Motorsports Bristol Stats:
NCTS Starts: 34; Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 6; Best Finish: 3rd (Ross Chastain, 2019).
- Cup Ringers: Friday’s Tennessee Army National Guard 250 will mark the first time that Niece Motorsports has entered two Cup Series regulars in the same race. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. takes the wheel of the team’s No. 4 Chevrolet, along with Ross Chastain who steps back into the No. 45.
No. 45 J.F. Electric Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Ross Chastain | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
- Welcome Back, Ross: NASCAR Cup Series veteran Ross Chastain returns to Niece Motorsports’ No. 45 J.F. Electric Chevrolet Silverado for his second start of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway. In his first start of the year at Darlington Raceway, Chastain narrowly missed out on a trip to victory lane in a thrilling finish.
- Chastain’s Bristol Stats:
NCS Starts: 11; Top-10s: 3; Best Finish: 6th (2022).
NOAPS Starts: 11; Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 2; Best Finish: 2nd (2020).
NCTS Starts: 5; Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 3; Best Finish: 2nd (2012).
- Gould's Bristol Stats:
NOAPS Starts: 12; Top-10s: 3; Best Finish: 9th (2013).
NCTS Starts: 9; Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 5; Best Finish: 3rd (2019).
- On the Truck: Chastain’s No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from J.F. Electric and Utilitra.
- Recapping Rockingham: Landen Lewis and the J.F. Electric team ran consistently throughout the race in Rockingham despite a handful of setbacks. Lewis qualified inside the top-10 to start the day, and gained an extra point in stage one. After a slight mistake on pit road, the No. 45 slid back a tad in the second run. Mired back in the field with a blistering pace, Lewis lost a lap in the final stage. Just after becoming eligible to take the wave around, however, the right-front tire went flat and forced him to pit. The rookie had to settle for a hard-earned 14th-place finish.
- Owner Points Outlook: Niece Motorsports’ No. 45 team lost one position in the points standings following Landen Lewis’ 14th-place finish, but they made ground on the leader. Now sitting third overall, the team is only four points behind TRICON Garage’s No. 11 team in second and five points behind their No. 1 team in first. They have a one-point gap over Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet in fourth, and a 44-point lead over TRICON’s No. 5 team at the cutline.
- Quoting Chastain: With the rule changes that NASCAR made to the Truck Series bodies over the offseason, how much different is your truck going to drive on a short track?
“It shouldn’t be as big of a difference for us here. You’re going slower in general, but I really don’t know. I haven’t been in a truck on a short track in so many months, and the last track I raced it on was IRP, which is drastically different than Bristol. With all the banking that we have here, we are carrying so much speed and air matters. I think we learned some helpful stuff at Darlington which might carry over to this weekend, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we’ve got on Friday with our J.F. Electric Chevy.”
About J.F. Electric: J.F. Electric is an electrical contractor that provides engineering expertise, backed by construction and installation know-how in a diverse range of service offerings, from utilities and commercial projects, to industrial and telecommunications customers. When having a long family history in an industry, a company not only builds on its knowledge and experience, it takes pride in cultivating a solid understanding of client needs, all the while nurturing strong relationships with its employees. Evolving through five generations of the Fowler family, J.F. Electric has matured into a well-managed and thoughtfully diversified electrical contractor which is poised to continue its growth and expansion into the future.
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).
