Chastain Set For Truck Series Return With Niece In Miami

Ross Chastain (Rusty Jarrett/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Ross Chastain will be back with Niece Motorsports when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to Homestead-Miami Speedway Friday for the fourth race of the season.

It marks the first of five races that Chastain, an eighth-generation watermelon farmer and NASCAR Cup Series regular, will compete in for Niece Motorsports this year.

Chastain is the winningest driver in team history, with five victories to his credit, including at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway last year. However, he has never won at Homestead in the Truck Series in seven starts, though he does have two top fives and five top 10s. His best Truck Series result at the 1.5-mile oval is third in 2020.

Chastain is still searching for a maiden NASCAR victory at one of his home tracks (the other being Daytona Int’l Speedway). The Alva, Fla., native finished as the runner-up in the 2022 Dixie Vodka 400, falling short to Kyle Larson.

Joining full-time teammates Kaden Honeycutt and Matt Mills, Chastain will be partnered with crew chief Wally Rogers, who has called eight Truck Series races at Homestead from atop the pit box.

Rogers won a Homestead pole in 2003 with Greg Biffle in the Xfinity Series, and has one top-10 finish, as well as four Cup Series appearances at the 1.5- mile track.

With this year’s Homestead race being moved to March as opposed to run in October, Chastain anticipates having more grip in the racetrack at a traditionally-slick venue.

“I think the date change should help us, but at Homestead-Miami, grip always comes at a premium,” said Chastain. “It’s part of the reason why this track is so much fun for us to race on. We have so many different lane options, which promotes some great racing.

“It’s going to be a great weekend driving for Al Niece in our first truck start of the year together,” Chastain added. ““I had a blast running my five races for him last year, and I think the trucks have gotten better over the offseason. Our team has been pretty strong here in the past, so I think our Niece Equipment Chevy should have a lot of pace in it come Friday night.”

The No. 44 team is coming off an up-and-down race at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, where Bayley Currey showed speed early on, but was hindered by damage sustained in a stack-up on a late restart.

Currey qualified the highest of the team’s three entries in 19th and finished inside the top 15 in both stages.

Following the incident, the pit crew made their best effort to repair the damage to the front end of Currey’s Silverado, eventually allowing him to rally back to an 18th-place finish. The No. 44 team is the organization’s best entry in the owner’s standings after three races in 15th place.

Chastain is optimistic about his pace entering one of his favorite venues, and with Rogers on the pit box should be a contender for victory at his home track.

Broadcast coverage of the Truck Series’ Baptist Health 200 at Homestead is scheduled for Friday, March 21 at 8 p.m. ET, live on FOX, the NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.