Ross Chastain and Reid Wilson to drive for Niece Motorsports in 2019
STATESVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 18, 2019) – NASCARXFINITY Series (NXS) winner Ross Chastain will pilot the No. 45 TrüNorth™ Chevrolet Silverado for NieceMotorsports during the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS) season-openingevent at Daytona International Speedway.
Chastainand Reid Wilson will share the No. 45 TrüNorth™Chevrolet Silverado during the 2019 NGOTS season.
“Weare thrilled to have Ross with us again this year, and to have Reid join theteam,” said Niece Motorsports General Manager, Cody Efaw. “As a team we really feel like we made a lotof progress in the caliber of our trucks last season, and we are excited tocontinue that momentum with two drivers who can really showcase their abilities. We’re excited to see what we can accomplishtogether this season.”
The paint scheme that Chastain will run at Daytona wasdesigned by Paul Teutul, Jr. of Paul Jr. Designs and star of “American Chopper”,in partnership with TrüNorth™. Paul Jr.will be in attendance at the NGOTS event at Daytona International Speedway inFebruary as the TrüNorth™/Paul Jr. Designs No. 45 takes to the track.
TrüNorth™, the leading provider of commercial asset relatedwarranty programs and services for dealers, fleets, owner-operators, andcommercial finance companies, partneredwith Paul Jr. to build the first TrüNorth™ custombike, which was unveiled in early November at the UTA Convention inOrlando. That bike build will appear inthe second episode of the new season of “American Chopper” on Discovery Channelin February.
“I’ve worked with some great folks to build amazing bikesover the years, but the TrüNorth™ bike is one of my favorites,” said PaulJr. “I love the ongoing relationshipwe’ve built with TrüNorth™. Being a partof TrüNorth’s™ NASCAR racing program is a terrific way to engage with ourcommon audiences and share the work we’re doing together.”
Additionally, Paul Jr. will build a second TrüNorth™custom bike for the launch of a new brand from TrüNorth™. This bike will beunveiled at Daytona in conjunction with the NGOTS race.
“Paul Jr. is not only great at what he does - his creativitygoes way beyond expectation, he is also wonderful with people, not just fans,but everyone,” said TrüNorth™ CMO Barry Wilson. “We have a common audience, and these folkslove NASCAR, so it’s a perfect match to have Paul as part of our racingprogram. We believe Cody [Efaw] and theNiece team will put our brand up front.”
Last season, Chastainmade three starts with Niece Motorsports, at Bristol Motor Speedway, TexasMotor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway, earning a best finish of 12that Bristol Motor Speedway.
“I really enjoyedworking with this Niece Motorsports team last season, and I’m excited tocontinue that this year,” said Chastain. “I know everyone at the shop has been working hard to prepare for thisseason, and I’m just fortunate to get to drive these trucks. I feel confident that we can have asuccessful year together.”
The2018 season was a busy one for Chastain, who competed in all three of NASCAR’smajor series. Chastain made 34 starts inthe Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, 33 starts in the NXS, and seven starts inthe NGOTS last season.
InSeptember, Chastain broke into the Winner’s Circle in the NXS, after putting ona dominating performance at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, winning each stage of therace and leading 180 of 200 laps.
Wilson,who will split the No. 45 ride with Chastain, competed in three NGOTS events in2018; at Martinsville Speedway, Iowa Speedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway,with Wilson’s best finish of 16th coming at Martinsville Speedway.
“Ican’t wait to get this season started,” said Wilson. “We really got our feet wet in the TruckSeries last season, and I’m excited to continue that into this season. I can’t thank Al Niece and TrüNorth™ enough for this incredibleopportunity.”
Priorto moving into the NGOTS, Wilson competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro SeriesEast, where he had a 50 percent top-10 rate. In 2018, he was named No. 46 inMotorsportsAnalytics.com’s ranking of the top 75 NASCAR Cup Series prospects. “Reid hasn’t competed regularly in a NASCARladder division, but when he does appear, he’s proven formidable,” stated DavidSmith, president of Motorsports Analytics.
“I’mso proud of the effort of each and every employee at Niece Motorsports,” said TeamOwner Al Niece. “To look at where we’vecome in such a short amount of time – it’s due to the hard work of everyone atour organization. I’m really lookingforward to 2019, and having Ross, Reid and TrüNorth™at our organization are huge pieces of the puzzle. I know that we can put together trucks thatare capable of winning, and that’s certainly our goal this season.”
TheNASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season will kick off at DaytonaInternational Speedway on Friday, February 15, 2019.
About Niece Motorsports:
Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine CorpsVeteran Al Niece. In 2019, Niece Motorsports enters its fourth season inthe NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, with drivers Ross Chastain and Reid Wilson. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which hasfor over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitiveprices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity anddependability. The company provideswater and fuel / lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability inmind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.