Christian Rose will race the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2025.
The 29-year-old Martinsburg, W.V. native will also compete for Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year.
Following two full-time seasons in the ARCA Menards Series with AM Racing, Rose feels he’s up for the challenge.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Rose said. “Niece is a good place to be at. With the resources they have, it will enable me to do my job. I can’t wait to get started.”
Unlike most aspiring racers, Rose grew up competing on diamonds instead of race tracks. He played baseball for nearly two decades culminating as a Division 1 pitcher for the University of Maryland Easter Shore.
Although his family didn’t race, Rose was a diehard fan. At 10, he attended his first race at Daytona International Speedway. If he wasn’t playing baseball on the weekends, Rose was watching practice, qualifying and races.
“I grew up loving racing,” Rose said. “My family wasn’t involved in it but I ended up picking up a Jeff Gordon remote when I was younger. I was six. Became a big Jeff Gordon fan. Always loved it. Always been a fan of it.”
When his baseball career ended, Rose searched for a competitive outlet that was NASCAR-related. While many college athletes are recruited for pit crews, Rose ended up behind the wheel of a Super Late Model at the suggestion of B.J. McLeod in 2018.
“We took a shot at it and it worked out pretty well,” Rose said. “Fortunately, we’ve been competitive enough and have worked with a lot of great partners to help get us this far.”
After a two-year stint in Florida, Rose returned to North Carolina where he ran Late Models and dabbled in the ARCA Menards Series. In his first full season, Rose finished third in the standings driving the No. 32 AM Racing Ford for Kevin Cywinski. In his 2024 campaign, Rose finished fifth.
“I learned a lot,” Rose said of his ARCA experience. “I learned how to race a lot better. I started racing ARCA in 2021in the West Series for a couple of races, then 15 races in ’22. In the two full-time seasons with AM Racing, I feel like we made some strides. We led laps and put ourselves in the situation to learn how to handle a lot of different situations.
“We didn’t get the results this year that we necessarily wanted but I’m happy with what we did learn. With the right pieces in place, I think it will transfer to the truck series.”
Rose’s truck debut came at Richmond Raceway with AM Racing in July 2023. Although he finished 32nd in his first attempt in trucks, Rose improved to 16th in the truck finale at Phoenix Raceway in November 2023.
“The truck series is the next step,” Rose said. “I’m hoping to establish our name in the truck series over the next couple of years, keep climbing the ladder and see where we can go.”
Rose believes his background as a Division 1 athlete will serve him well as he navigates the challenges in NASCAR. He is also encouraged by the success of former Niece drivers and the ability to work with his new teammates Matt Mills and Kaden Honeycutt, as well as mainstay Ross Chastain.
“Looking forward to making the jump,” Rose said. “I think the baseball side—being an athlete and how to handle routine, being competitive—helps. With the resources that Niece is going to provide, if we do the right things, we’ll put ourselves in a good spot before the end of the year.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
