LEBANON, Tenn: His Niece Motorsports teammate Carson Hocevar may have won his second NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race of the season, but Bayley Currey sure captured his own spotlight throughout Friday night’s Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.
After qualifying his No. 41 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado on the outside pole, Currey looked to maintain the speed in his Niece Motorsports Chevrolet throughout the 150-lap race.
Throughout the race, Currey maintained his presence inside the top-10 for the entire race but a caution inside the final 10 laps of the race allowed his Statesville, N.C.-based team to throw a Hail Mary in hopes of having an opportunity to take advantage of the fresh two-tire Goodyear rubber and challenge those that stayed out when the green flag waved with three laps to go.
Restarting outside the top-five, Currey’s truck quickly displayed the speed of the fresh tires but a tight-handling truck hindered his ability to chase down Corey Heim, Nick Sanchez, Zane Smith and teammate Hocevar over the final 3.99-miles of the race.
Currey did though with the two fresher tires was able to surge back into the top-five and pick up his second top-five finish of the season since finishing fourth at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in March.
After the race, Currey said the decision to pit for just two tires had both its advantages and disadvantages.
“It helped and it didn’t I don’t think we were gonna beat the guys we were right behind before we pitted,” Currey explained after the race. “We just fought tight the whole last stage there. I think as the rubber laid down the track built tight — air cooled off. We just fought that and putting two tires on didn’t necessarily help that. A little bit of boost in (Turns) 1 and 2 there.”
The Driftwood, Texas native described how the track changed as the race began in daylight but ended in darkness.
“(It was) Huge, all day practice and qualifying – you run the very bottom,” Currey explained. “You run the very bottom. It felt like after five laps there, about the three quarter mark in that first stage – if you weren’t on the top you were junk. And it kinda stayed that way the whole night.”
With his second top-five in just his fourth Truck Series race of the season for Niece Motorsports, the 26-year-old gave praise to his team.
“Just a great Unishippers Chevrolet Silverado that Niece Motorsports brought me,” added Currey who also led his first Truck Series lap of competition on Lap 62. “I am really, really excited and looking forward to building on this momentum.”
Outside of Atlanta and Nashville, Currey worst finish of the 2023 Truck Series season is 17th at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. He also finished a respectable 13th at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. He holds an average finish of 9.75 in those four races.
Currey, who is an interior specialist for the Al Niece-owned team during the week will give way to IndyCar driver Conor Daly for the next Truck Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 8, but team owner Niece informed CATCHFENCE.com that Currey will take the driving role of the No. 41 at Richmond Raceway in late July through the end of the season at Phoenix Raceway in November.
Ross Chastain will drive the No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado in the penultimate race of the Truck Series regular season at Pocono Raceway on July 22.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01 or email: [email protected]
