Matt Mills (racing driver)
Matt Mills | |||||||
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![]() Mills at Daytona International Speedway in 2024 | |||||||
Born | Matthew Robert Mills November 14, 1996 Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||
NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
2021 position | 67th | ||||||
Best finish | 67th (2021) | ||||||
First race | 2021 Buschy McBusch Race 400 (Kansas) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
123 races run over 7 years | |||||||
2023 position | 96th | ||||||
Best finish | 21st (2019) | ||||||
First race | 2017 DC Solar 200 (Phoenix) | ||||||
Last race | 2023 Kansas Lottery 300 (Kansas) | ||||||
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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
37 races run over 6 years | |||||||
Truck no., team | No. 42 (Niece Motorsports) | ||||||
2023 position | 34th | ||||||
Best finish | 34th (2023) | ||||||
First race | 2016 UNOH 200 (Bristol) | ||||||
Last race | 2024 Clean Harbors 250 (Richmond) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of May 24, 2024. |
Matthew Robert Mills (born November 14, 1996)[1] is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports. He has also previously competed in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Racing career
[edit]Early years
[edit]Mills started racing at age twelve in go-karts. A year later, he moved up to Junior Champ Karts and spent three years racing those. Mills started racing Open Wheel Modifieds at Midvale Speedway in 2012, winning rookie of the year and moving up to Outlaw Super Late Models in 2013. He attended a rookie seminar for NASCAR at Daytona Beach, Florida the following year and received clearance to race in the ARCA Racing Series and K&N Pro Series,[1] but has yet to race in either of those series, instead running a limited schedule in the JEGS/CRA Pro Series in 2015 as well as continuing his late model career.[2]
Craftsman Truck Series
[edit]On June 29, 2016, it was announced that Mills would join SS-Green Light Racing for "select races" in the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.[3] He made his first start at Bristol Motor Speedway in August,[4] finishing 27th.[5] Mills ran four more races for SS-Green Light in 2016, scoring a best finish of 21st in the season's penultimate race at Phoenix International Raceway.[6]
In 2017, he joined Faith Motorsports for three races because the team primary driver Donnie Levister was unapproved by NASCAR to run intermediate tracks. He ran seventeenth in two of them, career-best finishes,[7] before he joined Martins Motorsports to run in multiple races in the truck No. 42 with sponsorship from Thompson Electric Inc. starting in Iowa.[8] The truck never hit the track at Iowa and was never entered thereafter, however, the truck was included in the original edition of the 2017 video game NASCAR Heat 2.[9] He drove the No. 44 for Martins the following week but fell out due to an accident. He then start and parked with Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing for a few races in the latter part of 2017.[10]
Mills drove the No. 20 truck for Young's Motorsports part-time in 2022 in addition to running the majority of the Xfinity Series season for B. J. McLeod Motorsports in their No. 5 car. He returned to the team in 2023 to drive their No. 20 truck again at Las Vegas in March.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Matt_Mills_42_Truck_Las_Vegas_2024.jpg/220px-Matt_Mills_42_Truck_Las_Vegas_2024.jpg)
On October 12, 2023, Niece Motorsports announced that Mills will drive the No. 42 full-time in 2024, with Carson Hocevar moving up to the Cup Series in the Spire Motorsports No. 77.[11]
Xfinity Series
[edit]In March 2017, Mills was named the driver for B. J. McLeod Motorsports' No. 8 entry at Phoenix[12][13] in what looked to be a one race deal, replacing regular driver Jeff Green who had been signed to run the full season. Mills finished 30th in his debut.[14] He returned to the series over a month later at Richmond, again driving McLeod's No. 8.[15] His next start in the series came at Chicago in September with JD Motorsports, start and parking their fourth car, the No. 15.[16] In the season's final weekend, he failed to qualify with startup team NextGen Motorsports.[17]
On February 2, 2018, it was announced that Mills will drive the No. 15 car for all but one race in 2018, skipping the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.[18] He had previously been in consideration for the team's No. 0 car, which ultimately was driven by Garrett Smithley.[19] He did not qualify for the Texas race in April because of inspection issues. The agreement wound up falling through, as Mills was replaced by Joe Nemechek for the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.[20] Mills returned for a couple more races but parted ways with JDM after the June Michigan race. He made a start for DGR-Crosley in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Michigan in August, but wrecked, self-admittedly due to inexperience.[21]
Mills returned to B. J. McLeod Motorsports for some fall Xfinity races, eventually becoming the team's full-time driver of the No. 8 in 2019.[22] However, the number changed to 5 after the team agreed to give up their No. 8 for JR Motorsports in a number swap, and McLeod's team received the No. 5, the car number JRM dropped so they could get the No. 8.[23]
Cup Series
[edit]On April 26, 2021, B. J. McLeod Motorsports announced that they would be fielding a Cup Series car in the spring race at Kansas, the No. 55, and that Mills would be the driver. It was his debut in the series. Although BJMM uses Chevrolets or Toyotas in the Xfinity Series, the car in this race was a Ford from McLeod's Live Fast Motorsports team, which he fields in the Cup Series but is a separate entity from BJMM.[24]
Motorsports career results
[edit]NASCAR
[edit](key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Cup Series
[edit]NASCAR Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | NCSC | Pts | Ref |
2021 | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | 55 | Ford | DAY | DRC | HOM | LVS | PHO | ATL | BRD | MAR | RCH | TAL | KAN 38 | DAR | DOV | COA | CLT | SON | NSH | POC | POC | ROA | ATL | NHA | GLN | IRC | MCH | DAY | DAR | RCH | BRI | LVS | TAL | ROV | TEX | KAN | MAR | PHO | 67th | 01 | [25] |
Xfinity Series
[edit]Craftsman Truck Series
[edit]* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points
References
[edit]- ^ a b E.A.Schaeffer Oil Company (Zoilracing) (October 29, 2014). "Matthew mills racing young guns and legends of ohio".
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ "Season Preview: Matt Mills". Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- ^ Wilson, Steven B. "Late Model Standout Matt Mills to Join SS Green Light Racing". Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- ^ "Matt Mills to Make Truck Debut at Bristol". www.onpitroad.com. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- ^ "TRUCKS: Matt Crafton scores first career NASCAR last-place finish". brock.lastcar.info. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- ^ "Driver Matt Mills 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- ^ "NCWTS: Matt Mills Matches Career-Best Finish at Dover – Rubbings Racing". rubbingsracing.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "Martins Motorsports returns to Truck Series competition with Matt Mills in Iowa". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "NASCAR Heat 2 NCWTS Roster – NASCAR Heat". NASCAR Heat. July 19, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "Driver Matt Mills 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "Matt Mills joins Niece Motorsports full time in 2024". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media. October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ "Matt Mills Joins BJ McLeod Motorsports At Phoenix » Race Pro Weekly". raceproweekly.com. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (March 16, 2017). "Latest young gun makes Xfinity debut: Matt Mills to race at Phoenix". NASCAR Talk. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- ^ "03/18/2017 race: DC Solar 200 (NXS) - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- ^ "30th Annual ToyotaCare "250" – NASCAR XFINITY Series – Richmond International Raceway – 4/29/2017" (PDF). Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
- ^ "XFINITY: Matt Mills finishes last at Chicagoland when JD Motorsports' No. 15 withdrawn, re-entered, then parked". brock.lastcar.info. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "Driver Matt Mills 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ Vincent, Amanda. "NASCAR Xfinity: Matt Mills joins JD Motorsports at Atlanta". Auto Racing Daily. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
- ^ Herbst, Alex (January 16, 2018). "NASCAR: JD Motorsports expanding to four cars in 2018". Beyond the Flag. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
- ^ "Joe Nemechek to drive for JDM at Bristol". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
- ^ Catanzareti, Zach. "Matt Mills Striving for Seat Time Following Time Away". KickinTheTires.net. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ "BJ McLeod Motorsports announces it is expanding to three (3) full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series teams in 2019". B. J. McLeod Motorsports. January 10, 2019. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ "BJ McLeod Motorsports Reveals the Replacement of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Car No. 8". B. J. McLeod Motorsports. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "Matt Mills to make Cup debut at Kansas Speedway with B.J. McLeod Motorsports". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. April 26, 2021.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ "Matt Mills – 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Official profile at Niece Motorsports
- Matt Mills driver statistics at Racing-Reference