Matt Mills - Love’s RV Stop 225 Race Preview
Race: Love's RV Stop 225 (85 laps / 226.1 miles) | Race 20 of 23
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Location: Lincoln, Alabama
Date & Time: Friday, October 4th | 4:30 PM ET
Tune-In: FOX Sports 1 | Motor Racing Network (MRN) | Sirius XM Ch. 90
No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Matt Mills | Crew Chief: Jon Leonard
- Mills' Talladega Stats: Matt Mills will make his first Truck Series start at Talladega on Friday. Mills has competed in six Xfinity Series races at this track and secured his series-best finish here of 17th in 2019.
- Leonard's Talladega Stats: Jon Leonard has called a total of four NCTS races at Talladega Superspeedway since 2020, and he picked up his best finish at the track during his first start with a 17th-place run by Stewart Friesen. Leonard owns a top-10 finish as a Cup Series crew chief at this track which came when he worked with Kasey Kahne in 2018.
- On the Truck: Mills’ No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado RST will race with support from longtime partners J.F. Electric and Utilitra.
- Recapping Kansas: Matt Mills' night out in Kansas was cut short with a hard crash in the third stage of the race. Mills qualified his No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Chevy in 12th and held that spot in the first stage. In stage two, the team lost a few spots to 19th, but was making moves when he was caught up in an incident on the back straightaway. Mills was scored with a 33rd-place finish after he was unable to continue from the wreck.
- Points Rundown: With his 33rd-place finish in Kansas, Mills dropped one spot in points to 23rd and is looking to rebound. Mills is only eight points behind his teammate, Kaden Honeycutt, in 22nd, and has a 53-point buffer to 24th-place Lawless Alan.
- Quoting Mills: Do you use this race as an opportunity to try and snag a win, or are you more looking at it as another shot to learn for Daytona next year?
“Well, for my past experience with super speedway in the teams I’ve been with, our number one goal was to take care of the car. Before this year, I never really had any chance to go to the front and try to stay up there. Being with Niece Motorsports, we can take a bit of a more aggressive approach. Thankfully, having TJ Majors on top of the roof spotting for us - he’s one of the best on super speedways - I think will be very exciting for me to learn from him. Hopefully, we can get together with our teammates and go have a good race.”
- Quoting Leonard: What type of strategy do you think is going to be the best way to go this weekend?
“We’ve got to race. Got to race. I think if we can be up front all day, that’ll be the best approach for us. I think it takes working with people through the first part to build that relationship for the end. You’ve got to know where to be. You can run at the back all day and finish seventh or so if you luck into it, but in order to know who’s trucks drive well and who’s fast, I think you have to know where to put yourself to manipulate air. If you wreck, you wreck; but if you look at the Cup Series guys you always see the same handful of drivers up front and I think that’s for a reason. It’ll be a good shot for us to put our name 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 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 Utilitra: Utilitra is a woman-owned firm specializing in utility and technology solutions with a diverse team of specialized professionals. Utilitra is committed to solving their client’s unique challenges, whether one expert or a team of experts is needed. By adapting to the needs of their respective industries, Utilitra has built a range of services for their utility and technology partners.
