Matt Gould - Zip Buy Now Pay Later 200 Race Preview
Race: Zip Buy Now Pay Later 200 (200 laps / 105.2 miles) | Race 22 of 23
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Location: Ridgeway, Virginia
Date & Time: Friday, November 1st | 6:00 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | Motor Racing Network (MRN) | Sirius XM Ch. 90
No. 44 Niece Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Matt Gould | Crew Chief: Jon Leonard
- Gould Returns: Matt Gould, son of Niece Motorsports' No. 45 Crew Chief, Phil Gould, returns to the seat of the No. 44 Niece Equipment Chevrolet to make his second-career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Martinsville Speedway. Gould made his series debut at the Milwaukee Mile back in August, and is a regular late model stock competitor in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series at Hickory Motor Speedway.
- Gould's Martinsville Stats: Matt Gould will make his first-career start in any series at Martinsville Speedway during Friday night's Zip Buy Now Pay Later 200.
- Leonard's Martinsville Stats: Jon Leonard has called three NCTS races at Martinsville before, showing a 13th-place run with Stewart Friesen as his best result in 2022. Leonard also called two Cup Series races here, finishing as high as 19th with Michael McDowell in 2017.
- STEM Appearance: Last Wednesday, Niece Motorsports drivers Matt Gould, Bayley Currey, and Matt Mills spent the day at Martinsville Speedway teaching a group of students from the local Patrick Henry Elementary School the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) within the NASCAR industry. The drivers helped students build rubber band cars, hosted a Q&A, and partook in local media interviews ahead of the race weekend.
- On the Truck: Gould's No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from Niece Equipment. Located in Buda, Texas, Niece Equipment specializes in building water and fuel/lube trucks for commercial use on construction projects.
- Owner Points Outlook: Following Conor Daly's 28th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the part-time No. 44 Niece Motorsports team continues to be shown 34th in the owner points standings.
- Quoting Matt Gould: Now that you have a truck race under your belt, do you think this weekend should be a little bit easier as far as getting used to everything?
“For sure. I think I am going into Martinsville with a whole lot more confidence than what I felt heading into Milwaukee since there was a lot of unknowns. Now, I feel like I can unload off of the trailer and pick it up in practice to be better in the race. I can’t thank Al (Niece), Cody (Efaw), and everyone at Niece Equipment and Chevrolet enough for this second chance at racing their truck.”
- Quoting Leonard: Do you think Matt's late model experience is going to help him at all in the truck, or is this something completely different?
“Yeah, absolutely. I know the No. 44 team had some problems at Milwaukee, but I think the second half of the race, he began to adapt pretty well. I think with his background at Hickory, running a truck on the short tracks will correlate. We spent some time in the simulator and I thought he did really well. It’s a rhythm racetrack, so I think once he gets in a groove with some practice under his belt, he’ll be just fine.”
- Quoting Phil Gould: How much of a benefit for Matt was running the Milwaukee race and do you think that should help his learning curve?
“Yeah, definitely. I think Martinsville is the closest he’ll be to what he’s been used to running in the late models. Milwaukee was definitely a lot faster, more technical than Martinsville, but I think having another race under his belt in a truck will give him some more confidence this weekend.”
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 Niece Equipment: For over 30 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.
