Category: Truck Series

Team: Niece Motorsports – No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado; @NieceMotorsport
Driver: TJ Bell; @TJBell_Racing
Crew Chief: Cody Efaw

Driver Quote: “Texas didn’t quite go the way we wanted, but I’m really looking forward to this weekend’s race,” said Bell.  “We are continuing to learn and get better each time we visit the race track, which is really encouraging.  Gateway is a fun track, and I’m looking forward to the challenge this weekend.”

Bell at Gateway: Bell has five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) starts at Gateway Motorsports Park, with his most recent coming in 2014.  In 2004, Bell made an ARCA Racing Series start at Gateway Motorsports Park, finishing eighth.

About the Owner: Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece.  Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 30 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.

JOHNNY SAUTER
No. 21 Allegiant Chevrolet Silverado

Gateway Stats
5 starts, 5 top-5s, 5 top-10s

Additional Info
– Sauter will pilot GMS chassis no. 107, which was raced last year at Gateway to a fourth-place finish. The No. 21 team also utilized it in 2016 at Martinsville-1, New Hampshire and Phoenix. This is the first time this chassis will be
used in 2017.

– Following an eighth-place result at Texas Motor Speedway, Sauter now holds claim to six top-10s and five top-fives in the first seven races. His only finish outside of the top-10 came at Daytona International Speedway, where he was caught up in a last lap incident and relegated to a 15th-place finish.

– Sauter leads the driver championship point standings by 40 points over Christopher Bell.

Quote
“I’ve always enjoyed racing at Gateway. It’s certainly not an easy track by any means, but for whatever reason I’ve had a lot of success there. Having a win takes a little bit of pressure off of our team, but with that being said, I’d feel even more comfortable with a few more before we reach the playoffs. I can’t say enough about the work that everyone at GMS Racing and GMS Fabrication puts in to get these trucks running as well as they are. Because of that, I think you’ll see a lot more from GMS as a whole this season, not just the 21 team.”

JUSTIN HALEY
No. 24 Kingman Chevrolet Silverado

Gateway Stats
1 start in 2016. Started 15th, finished 21st.

Additional Info
– The No. 24 team will utilize GMS chassis no. 115, the same chassis Haley raced at Martinsville Speedway earlier this year. He ran as high as sixth place before getting caught in the back of the field late in the race following an unscheduled stop.

– Haley earned his third top-10 of the season at Texas Motor Speedway in just his fifth start and sits 16th in the driver championship point standings.

Quote
“Gateway is one of the trickier tracks we go to; turns one and two are sharp with a long, sweeping three and four. Usually you can get the set up figured out at one end but you’ll wind up being tight in the other. It’ll be tough to work out a perfect balance. We’re just going to have to stay a step ahead of the track all weekend and capitalize on the positive momentum we’re carrying over from Texas.”

KAZ GRALA
No. 33 Kiklos Chevrolet Silverado

Gateway Stats
1 start, 1 top-10

Additional Info
– Kaz will pilot chassis no.114 this weekend. Kaz raced this chassis earlier this season at Martinsville where he qualified 11th and finished 15th. Ben Kennedy also used this chassis six times last season in route to five top-10s, including his win at Bristol Motor Speedway.
– After a 10th-place finish at Texas, Kaz is currently eighth in the driver point standings, with one win to his name.

Quote
“I’m really excited for Gateway (Motorsports Park). It’s a neat little track. I got to run it last year in a truck and finished eighth. That was one of my favorite tracks that I got to run. Each end of the track has slightly different banking, one has curbing and one really doesn’t. You’re basically driving each end like it’s its own track. It’s a challenge for setup but at the same time, that’s what makes it interesting to drive.”
 

ABOUT GMS RACING
GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with drivers Johnny Sauter, Justin Haley and Kaz Grala, and the NASCAR XFINITY Series with Spencer Gallagher and Ben Kennedy. Since the team’s start in 2014, GMS Racing has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication.

SOCIAL MEDIA
To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow GMS Racing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Citing Successful 2016 Season, Mayhew Tools Expands Effort In 2017

Wright City, MO- After launching a successful marketing program with MB Motorsports in 2016 Mayhew Tools has not only renewed with the team for 2017, but are expanding their effort.

“We enjoyed a very successful program with MB Motorsports last season,” notes Mayhew Tools’ Jennifer Martin. “ The contests we held on MB Motorsports’ various social media platforms really struck a chord with the fans and generated a lot of buzz for Mayhew Tools. We plan on expanding our effort this season and are very excited to cultivate this relationship.”

It’s only logical that one of America’s oldest tool companies, Mayhew Tools, would partner up with the sole surviving original NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team, MB Motorsports.

“I said it when we started this program and I’ll say it again, Mayhew Tools has a great reputation,” says team owner Mike Mittler. “For a company to stay in business for over 160 years, they have to being doing a lot of things right. I couldn’t be happier to have Mayhew Tools continue with us as a marketing partner.”

John Lawless, President of Mayhew Steel Products, “We’re very excited to expand our relationship with MB Motorsports. We knew from the beginning that this partnership would help us reach the NASCAR fan base, whose demographics match those of our target customer. When we launched the program with a social media contest, we had high hopes but our expectations we surpassed and we’re expecting great thi8ngs in 2017.”

Race fans who follow @MayhewTools on Twitter and follow Mayhew on Facebook will be eligible to win prizes in contests held on MB Motorsports’ Twitter (@MBMotorsports) and Facebook pages. The date of the first contest will be announced soon.

Founded in 1856, Mayhew Steel Products (Mayhew Tools) is the oldest punch and chisel manufacturer in the United States. As they’ve grown from a small tool house to the industry leader, there’s only one thing that hasn’t changed—their dedication to quality, reliability, and craftsmanship. That’s why they’ve become the tool of choice for certified technicians and professional mechanics across the country, and have found a home in the belts of do-it-yourself-ers as well.

Mayhew Tools: Founded in 1856, Mayhew Steel Products (Mayhew Tools) is the oldest punch and chisel manufacturer in the United States. As they’ve grown from a small tool house to the industry leader, there’s only one thing that hasn’t changed—their dedication to quality, reliability, and craftsmanship. That’s why they’ve become the tool of choice for certified technicians and professional mechanics across the country, and have found a home in the belts of do-it-yourselfers as well.

Over time their product line has grown but their passion for manufacturing quality hand tools continues as we serve the Industrial, Automotive and Hardware industries.

During their more than 150-year history, they’ve been able to expand both our physical size and breadth of products without losing sight of our heritage. That includes staying true to our American roots, by keeping our newly constructed headquarters in the heart of the original tool country—Western Massachusetts, home to our corporate office and 100,000 square foot ware-house and manufacturing facilities. Mayhew controls all functions from raw material receiving to final tool inspection and packaging. Our recent expansion continues with the creation of two distinct product lines (MayhewPro and MayhewSelect) geared specifically for our hardworking customers—both the professional and occasional user that wants to know what the Pros know. Mayhew is ISO 9001:2008 Certified.

About MB Motorsports:
MB Motorsports is the sole surviving original team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, having competed in every season since the series debuted in 1995. The team has given many young drivers their start in NASCAR, including Sprint Cup Series winners Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Brad Keselowski and Regan Smith.

For more information on MB Motorsports and its marketing partners, visit www.mbracing.net or follow them on Twitter @MBMotorsports or Facebook, MB Motorsports

For more information on Mayhew Steel Products, visit www.mayhew.com or follow them on Twitter, @MayhewTools or on Facebook, Mayhew Steel Products

FORT WORTH, Tex. – Set to compete in his third NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race of the season, Tyler Young (@tyleryoung02) heads to Texas Motor Speedway for Friday night’s winstaronlinegaming.com 400 with new crew chief Chad Kendrick.

Kendrick joined Young’s Motorsports this past Monday and will oversee the team’s truck program moving forward with former crew chief Andrew Abbott serving as truck crew chief and crew chief for the team’s developmental K&N Pro Series East program.

With the abrupt shutdown of Red Horse Racing, Young saw the opportunity to bring Kendrick aboard in hopes with his expertise and leadership he can propel the team forward as they focus to remain a mainstay in the Truck Series.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to work with Chad Kendrick this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway,” said Young. “Chad has the knowledge to help Andrew in a lot of ways and I think with both working together our on-track performance will get better.”

Friday night’s race at Texas Motor Speedway is the first standalone race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season and Young, a native of Midland, Texas always hopes to come to the ultra-fast 1.5-mile speedway and do well, especially at his hometown track.

With Kendrick’s notebook and Abbott’s intuitiveness, Young feels a top-10 finish is feasible.

“I enjoy coming to Texas for a lot of reasons,” he said. “Not only is it my home track, but it’s a place where I enjoy racing. Texas is incredibly fast, but it has always been about handling. With the new asphalt, I’m not sure what to expect, but we’ll have three practices on Thursday to get our No. 02 Young’s Building Systems / Randco. Chevrolet dialed in and ready for the race on Friday night.

“It sure would be nice to have a good showing in front of all my family and friends.”

Eight of Young’s 72-career Truck Series starts have come in the heart of the Lone Star State and eyeing his fifth career top-10 finish, Young says he is still riding the momentum of his top-15 finish at Kansas Speedway last month.

His best finish at Texas came in back-to-back races in 2014 and 2015 where he steered his truck to 14^th place finishes.

“The last couple of races haven’t been really good to us in Texas,” Young explained. “For one reason or another, we just couldn’t get the handling the way we needed too. With that being said, we learned a ton at Kansas and I really like the way the truck felt.

“I talked to Chad and we’re going to start there for practice on Thursday and see how the truck performs with the new asphalt. While it’s important to get the handling figured out, it’s equally important to remember that the three practices don’t really give an indicator of what we might expect in race conditions. It’s a curveball, but something we’re used to and nothing we can’t overcome.”

In 72 career NCWTS starts, Young holds four top-10 finishes to his credit with a career-best sixth at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February 2016. A sixth-place qualifying effort at Eldora Speedway in July 2015 is his best time trials effort to date. Young’s Motorsports has competed on the tour since 2012.

For more on Tyler Young, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com or click on his Facebook page. Young is also active on Twitter. You can follow and tweet with him @TylerYoung02.

The winstaronlinegaming.com 400k (167 laps / 250.5 miles) is the seventh of 23 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races on the 2017 schedule. Practice begins on June 8 from 3:00 p.m. – 3:55 p.m., a second practice session has been etched from 5:00 p.m. – 5:55 p.m. with a final practice session is set for 7:00 p.m. – 7:55 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Fri., June 9 beginning at 4:35 p.m. The 32-truck field will take the green flag shortly after 7:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Central).

No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Texas Motor Speedway Fast Facts:

Driver: Tyler Young (@TylerYoung02)

Owner: Randy Young (Young’s Motorsports)

Crew Chief: Chad Kendrick

Truck Chief: Andrew Abbott

Manufacturer: Chevrolet Silverado

Engine Builder: Collins Engine Works