Tyler Reif - Navy 250 Race Preview
Event: Navy 250 (50 laps / 170 miles)
Round: 13 of 25 (Regular Season)
Track: Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado
Location: Coronado, CA
Date & Time: Friday, June 19 | 7:00 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | NASCAR Racing Network (NRN) | SiriusXM Ch. 90
Team Stats & Notes
- Niece Motorsports Road Course Stats:
NOAPS Starts: 1; Best Finish: 31st (Victor Gonzalez, Jr. - Watkins Glen, 2018)
NCTS Starts: 60; Poles: 2 (Carson Hocevar - Sonoma, 2022 & Ross Chastain - COTA, 2023) Top-Fives: 5; Top-10s: 16; Best Finish: 3rd (Carson Hocevar - Mid-Ohio, 2023 & Shane van Gisbergen - Watkins Glen, 2026).
- New Track: Friday’s Navy 250 will mark the first time that NASCAR has hosted a race at the Qualcomm Circuit on Naval Base Coronado. San Diego is the second new road course on the schedule this year - with the first being the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.
- Coronado Connection: Niece Motorsports’ Team Founder, Al Niece, has special ties to Naval Base Coronado. While enlisted with the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, Niece was stationed on the base in 1968. He will return to the base for the first time in 56 years when the race takes place.
- Honoring Those Who Have Served: All three of Niece Motorsports’ entries will feature a special tribute on the bed tops including over 160 names of veterans. The list is mostly comprised of relatives of the team’s crew, partners, and ownership group. ‘SGT Al Niece’ will appear on the passenger side name rail locations on the trucks, and a list of KIA soldiers who fought alongside Niece are also represented.
No. 42 Niece Equipment / Foundation For Pops Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Tyler Reif | Crew Chief: Landon Polinski
- Reif Returns: 19-year-old Tyler Reif returns to the seat of Niece Motorsports’ No. 42 Chevrolet for his sixth start of the 2026 NCTS season this weekend. Reif’s best finish so far this year has been a 14th-place finish at Watkins Glen International.
- Reif’s NASCAR Road Course Stats:
Tyler Reif will make his first-career start in any series at San Diego on Friday.
NCTS Starts: 2; Best Finish: 14th (Watkins Glen, 2026).
ARCA Starts: 1; Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 1; Best Finish: 2nd (Watkins Glen, 2025).
ARCA West Starts: 5; Top-Fives: 3; Top-10s: 3; Best Finish: 2nd (Sonoma, 2024).
- Polinski's NASCAR Road Course Stats:
Landon Polinski will make his first NCTS start as a crew chief at San Diego on Friday.
NCTS Starts: 3; Best Finish: 14th (Watkins Glen, 2026).
- On the Truck: Reif’s No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Niece Equipment and Foundation For Pops. Niece Equipment is a leading manufacturer of fuel/lube trucks based in Buda, Texas, and has been operating for over 40 years. Foundation For Pops is a charitable organization formed by team co-owner, Josh Morris, which aims to serve the veteran community by building stronger futures through education, employment, and housing.
- Sponsor Ties to Coronado: Foundation for Pops’ Executive Director, Lakesha Hancock, is a Navy veteran who was stationed at HC-3 and Personnel Support Detachment on Naval Base Coronado from 1992 to 1996. Her son, Aqil Green, is actively serving on the base at 32nd Street.
- Recapping Michigan: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the AutoVentive / Precision team had a fantastic showing in Michigan. Stenhouse Jr. started from 19th place and continued to move forward as the race went on. In the final stage, the No. 42 crew made noteworthy changes to aid the balance, prompting the truck to come to life. Stenhouse Jr. crossed the finish line in seventh-place, capturing the best finish for both his crew chief and primary sponsor to cap off the day.
- Owner Points Outlook: Stenhouse Jr.’s seventh-place finish in Michigan elevated the No. 42 team to 25th in the owner point standings. Ahead of San Diego, the team is 13 points behind Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 team in 24th, and 14 points ahead of Rackley W.A.R.’s No. 26 Chevrolet in 26th. With five races left in the regular season, the team is 116 points below the Chase cutline.
- Quoting Reif: How does San Diego compare to the other road courses that you’ve raced in the truck?
“I think San Diego should be pretty close to St. Pete with how close the proximity is to the walls. Execution all day is going to be critical to us, especially with how close the walls are. We need to keep our nose clean all race, which we weren’t able to do in St. Pete. Luckily, we’ve had a lot of speed in both road course races this year, so if we can keep the truck in one piece, I think we can put together a really good result 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 Niece Equipment: For over 40 years, Niece Equipment has provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Our reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability.
Each of our water and fuel/lube trucks are engineered with quality and durability in mind. Our capability ranges from 2,000 gallon water trucks to 12,000 gallon water towers. The fuel/lube trucks we offer range from 600 to 4,000 gallons.
About Foundation for Pops: At Foundation for Pops, our vision is to cultivate a society where the transformative power of education, empowerment, and inclusive support dismantles barriers to economic mobility and stable housing. Guided by our core values of Positive Mindset, Empowerment, Respect, Innovation, and Community Collaboration, we aspire to be a beacon of hope for people experiencing homelessness and veterans, fostering a community where everyone can rebuild their lives with dignity and contribute meaningfully to the world.
