Connor Mosack - Toyota 200 Race Preview
Race: Toyota 200 (160 laps / 200 miles) | Race 12 of 23
Track: World Wide Technology Raceway
Location: Madison, Illinois
Date & Time: Saturday, June 1st | 12:30 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX | Motor Racing Network (MRN) | Sirius XM Ch. 90
No. 45 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Connor Mosack | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
- Mosack Returns: Rookie Connor Mosack returns to Niece Motorsports for the second start of his part-time schedule in the No. 45 Chevrolet. Mosack last drove for the team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he finished in 19th. He has also spent time driving for Spire Motorsports in the No. 7 Silverado RST, and plans to make sporadic NASCAR Xfinity Series starts for JR Motorsports later this year. The driver from Charlotte, NC has made a handful of ARCA Menards Series starts this season for Pinnacle Racing Group and recently secured his second-career victory at Kansas Speedway. He competes full-time in the Trans Am National Championship for Silver Hare Racing.
- Mosack's Gateway Stats: Connor Mosack will make his first NASCAR Truck Series start at WWT Raceway on Saturday. Though this will be his first start on the oval, Mosack has raced before on Gateway's road course layout. Three weeks ago, Mosack finished sixth in the Trans Am TA2 event held on the 2.0-mile course.
- Gould's Gateway Stats: Phil Gould has called five NASCAR Truck Series races at WWT Raceway, resulting in four top-10 finishes. In 2019, Gould navigated Ross Chastain to victory lane at the 1.25-mile track, marking Niece Motorsports' second NCTS win. Last season, while working with Carson Hocevar, Gould's No. 42 team finished in fourth position here.
- On the Truck: Mosack's No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Chevy Accessories. Visit chevy.com/accessories to browse the latest accessories to personalize and enhance your vehicle.
- Recapping Charlotte: Kaden Honeycutt and the No. 45 team experienced a roller coaster-like eventful day at Charlotte. In practice, Honeycutt damaged the right side of his truck after contact with another competitor. The crew repaired the truck well enough to qualify in the top-10, and after starting ninth, he began to march to the front. Honeycutt would make it up to second at the end of stage one (later credited with the win), and backed up the performance with a fourth-place run in stage two. Issues on pit road forced Honeycutt to the rear of the field on two occasions, but he was able to rally back to a seventh-place finish.
- Mosack's Best-Career Finish: While driving for Spire Motorsports at Charlotte last week, Mosack earned his best-career finish in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series with an eighth-place run. The result was his first top-10 in just his fifth start in the series.
- Owner Points Outlook: Honeycutt's strong outing in Charlotte resulted in two positions gained for the No. 45 team in the owner points standings. The team currently sits seventh, seven points behind TRICON Garage's No. 17 team. With Chastain's win in Darlington, the truck is locked into the owner points Playoffs.
- Quoting Mosack: What are some of the benefits and challenges of racing for two different teams in the Truck Series?
“I think the challenges come from the fact that once you’re getting into the rhythm of how one team operates, that stops, and you have to give yourself a restart with the other team. You feel like you still have the momentum in the series with the trucks, but each team does things a little differently. The communication changes and some of the small details make a difference. I think full-time drivers have the advantage of gaining speed by keeping in that rhythm with everybody. The crew chief knows exactly what they’re asking for and vise-versa. Some of the benefits are learning what each team does that the other team doesn’t do. You can apply the differences whether that be through prep or debrief after the race, so there’s definitely some benefits as well.”
- Quoting Gould: How difficult is it to rotate through different drivers on a weekly basis in the No. 45 truck?
“It’s hard, but it’s probably harder on the drivers since our team is racing every week, no matter who’s driving. We have a bit of a unique situation on the No. 45 team with having these drivers hop in-and-out of the truck and the series as a whole. So from that aspect, it’s harder on them to get up-to-speed if they’re not used to driving the truck every week. I’ve gotten used to all of them now, but it’s all about finding out their personalities and what suits them best so we can give them the most comfortable feel out there.”
About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2024, Niece Motorsports enters its ninth season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as X @NieceMotorsport.
About Chevrolet: Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.