Matt Mills will continue his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign behind the wheel of the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet in 2025.
Mills, 27, signed on with the Al Niece-owned organization last October—his first full-time effort with a winning truck operation.
With support from J.F. Electric and Ultilitra, the New Philadelphia, Ohio, native believes he can build on the solid foundation he has established this season.
“I’ve really enjoyed racing with Niece Motorsports,” Mills said. “It’s an honor to drive for Al Niece. When I first met him I thought, ‘How cool would it be to drive for Al one day.’ Now, I have the ability to continue that stability next year.
“Every time I’m able to strap into the race car, it’s an opportunity. It’s a blessing to have great partners like J.F. Electric. Over the last couple of years, they’ve realized being with team that have more resources makes the job a little easier. It’s more fun being competitive and having the ability to race for top fives and wins.”
Mills’ motorsports journey began on two wheels—but after seeing the long-term effects of his father’s spills in motocross—the racer decided cars were a safer route.
“At 10, I was mature enough to see all the broken bones he’s had and didn’t want any part of it,” Mills said. “We were always fans of NASCAR. We had a little track in Ohio, about two miles down from us. We watched some kids riding go-karts, then a week later, Dad came home with a go-kart and said, ‘Let’s go give this a shot.’ The first laps out there, I fell in love with it.”
After go-karts, he graduated to modifieds at 14, late models at 15 and then competed in the CRA Super Series before advancing to NASCAR when he was 19.
Mills raced for several NASCAR Xfinity Series teams from 2018 to 2022—and full-time for three seasons. However, the opportunities were not nearly as competitive as Niece Motorsports.
Under the direction of crew chief Jon Leonard, Mills has improved over the course of the season. He earned his first top-five finish with the team at Charlotte Motor Speedway and scored his second top 10—an eighth-place result—at Nashville Superspeedway.
“We’ve started to progress the second half of the season,” Mills said. “Being able to continue that will be fun.
Ross Chastain, who has been teammates with Mills at both Niece Motorsport and Johnny Davis Racing, calls the racer a “grinder”.
“When I look at Matt, I see a lot of myself,” Chastain said. “I remember when he came into trucks and Xfinity. He was running some at Johnny’s. His transition into what you see now has taken a lot of effort.
“He puts in the work. He’s in the (Josh) Wise program. He had already put in the work before that—and that’s why JF Electric wanted to step up. He grew that into a full-time opportunity with our group—and that started with his personal desire to be better. He started that on his own, and now he’s refining that. There’s room for improvement, but he’s running the best he’s ever been. The hard work for him is being rewarded.”
And Mills’ supporters have witnessed his progress.
“We are excited about returning for the 2025 NASCAR Truck Series with Matt Mills and Niece Motorsports in the No. 42 truck,” said Greg Fowler, CEO & Chairman of the Board for J.F. Electric. “Although we have been supporting Matt for many years, mainly in the Xfinity Series, this year was our first full-season commitment with him and Niece Motorsports.
“We chose to work with Niece Motorsports this season based on their past performance and based on their GM, Cody Efaw, who we felt could help Matt the most on his journey to move up the ladder within NASCAR.
“I have known Matt personally for many years and know how hard he works and how dedicated he is to be the best he can every time he gets behind the wheel. We are looking forward to the rest of this season and have high hopes for Matt in the 2025 season.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
