Niece Motorsports will continue to field the No. 45 full time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series via a four-driver lineup, the team announced Feb. 9.
Ross Chastain and Kaden Honeycutt return to the organization, joined by Johnny Sauter and Connor Mosack.
Phil Gould will be the No. 45’s crew chief.
Sauter kicks off the season with the team at Daytona International Speedway.
“I’m appreciative to everyone at Niece Motorsports for the chance to get back behind the wheel and start the season at Daytona,” Sauter said in a team release. “I’m ready to go racing and I know Phil and this Niece Motorsports team are ready to get back on track too. We’re ready to compete for a win in Daytona.”
“I love coming to race in the Truck Series,” Chastain added. “I’m thankful to Al Niece and everyone at Niece Motorsports for allowing me to get behind the wheel of these Chevrolets. We’re going to do our best to go out and win races and compete for an owner’s championship. It would mean a lot to me to be able to bring that home to Al Niece.”
Chastain’s schedule in the Truck includes Circuit of the Americas, Darlington Raceway, North Wilkesboro Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Aside from Sauter’s Daytona appearance, the rest of his schedule has not been revealed. It’s also not yet known which races Mosack and Honeycutt will contest, outside of Mosack’s start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“Thanks to Al Niece and everyone at Niece Motorsports for the opportunity to go racing in top-tier equipment this season,” Honeycutt said. “I’m looking forward to having more time in one of these Chevrolets and competing for an owner’s championship with this group.”
Said Mosack, “I’m excited to join Niece Motorsports this season. This is a strong group and I’m thrilled to be a part of it and learn from everyone here. I’m ready to get behind the wheel in Las Vegas and get the season started.”
Chastain is the lone regular in a different NASCAR series of the group, competing full time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Trackhouse Racing. In 2023, he drove seven Truck races for Niece, scoring two top fives and three top 10s.
Sauter made three Truck appearances in 2023 for Roper Racing Team, earning a best result of 19th at Kansas Speedway. He has 24 career wins in the series and is the 2016 champion.
Honeycutt drove for three different teams among his 11 Truck starts in 2023, Niece included. He earned three top 10s.
Mosack last raced in the series in 2022, making two starts for Bret Holmes Racing.
Niece has announced three full-time trucks for 2024. Matt Mills and Bayley Currey will pilot the Nos. 42 and 41, respectively.
About the author
Rutherford is the managing editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2015 after serving on the editing staff for two years. At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.
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