Matt Gould To Make Truck Series Debut At Milwaukee

Matt Gould will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at the Milwaukee Mile. (Luke Hales/ARCA Racing photo)

SALISBURY, N.C. – Matt Gould, the son of Niece Motorsports’ senior crew chief Phil Gould, will strengthen his family’s ties to the organization later this month at the Milwaukee Mile.

The second-generation driver is set to make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut during the LiUNA 175 at the one-mile oval in West Allis, Wis., the same track where he made his ARCA Menards Series debut two years ago. He’ll drive the No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST, a fourth entry for the team.

Now 18, Gould is a recent high school graduate who has spent the summer working as a full-time Niece Motorsports crew member on several of the trucks in the team’s fleet.

“This opportunity means a lot to me, especially having Al (Niece) and my dad help me get to this point,” said the younger Gould. "I'm looking forward to it and can't thank them enough. I’ve been having a lot of fun working on the truck and putting everything together in the interior, knowing that this is for my truck, not someone else’s.

“[A] huge thank you to Niece Equipment and Chevrolet for their support as well. I’m hoping to get into their simulator soon to get a feel for it, but I've already had some help and have leaned on so many people,” he added. “I’ll have a bunch of family members watching that have been waiting on this for a long time, so I’m excited to finally be able to go and do it.”

Gould’s two prior ARCA appearances – one at Milwaukee and the second at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway – yielded finishes of 10th and eighth, respectively.

He’s also a three-time NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series winner in the late model stock car ranks, with one victory apiece at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, N.C.; Florence (S.C.) Motor Speedway; and his home track, historic Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

But behind the scenes, the teenager’s work ethic and persistence have rung loudly within the walls of Niece Motorsports. Since taking a shot to learn the mechanics of the Truck Series alongside his father, Gould became known as “LP” or “Little Phil” to the crew and has excelled, all while in high school.

Thanks to those learning experiences, and the support of Niece Equipment as his primary sponsor, Gould will trade his toolbox for a steering wheel at Milwaukee, something team owner Al Niece is eager to see.

“Matt has been such a great kid to have around our team,” said Niece. “His determination, whether it be from behind the wheel in his late model or from lending a helping hand to our crew, has proven how much he wants this opportunity. He’s always pitched in with whatever we throw at him and has continued to learn ever since he first started to come around.

“One of our goals here has always been to give him a chance to race in the Truck Series,” Niece continued. “We’ve been waiting on this for a while now, and I’m glad that we were finally able to put everything together for him [to make] his debut. I think he’ll do a great job for us.”

Milwaukee will mark the first time since the younger Gould started his racing career that he won’t have his father, Phil, working alongside him or calling the shots. Instead, Niece Motorsports competition director Tom Ackerman will serve as the crew chief for the No. 44 team in the Badger State.

While it’s going to be “very different” to compete against his son, Phil Gould admitted a bit of excitement for the lighthearted inter-team rivalry that Matt’s presence in the lineup will spark.

“That’s going to be crazy for me,” said Phil Gould, whose eight Truck Series wins as a crew chief have all come since joining Niece Motorsports in 2019. “You know, I’ll have my own team to worry about when I’m working on our truck, but I’ll be peeking over around him to make sure he’s good.

“It’s really cool; I’m super thankful to Al (Niece) and Cody (Efaw) and everyone here at the shop for believing in him and giving him this opportunity. He’s been working really hard in the background, working on his truck and doing all the things he needs to do to prepare for it.”

There’s also no shortage of belief from father to son ahead of Matt Gould’s Truck Series debut. It’s something that the entire family has been building toward from their early days racing dirt outlaw karts together at nearby Millbridge Speedway, just down the road from the Niece Motorsports race shop.

“Of course, I believe in him; I’m his dad, so I’m supposed to, right?” the elder Gould noted. “But it’ll be really cool to see everyone else behind him, and I’m confident he’ll do well.

“I’m definitely hoping for the best.”

Conor Daly, the most recent pilot of Niece Motorsports’ No. 44 entry, started last on the 35-truck grid at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in July but advanced six places to finish 29th in his first Truck Series start of the year.

Milwaukee will mark just the second race this year for the team’s part-time fourth truck.

Broadcast coverage of the LiUNA 175 at the Milwaukee (Wis.) Mile is slated for Sunday, Aug. 25 at 4 p.m. ET, live on FS1, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.