Matthew Michael Gould Bio
Matthew Michael Gould (born January 8, 2006) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the Nos. 41 and 44 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs for Niece Motorsports. He has previously competed part-time in the ARCA Menards Series and the ARCA Menards Series East.
Early Life and Background
Matthew Michael Gould was born on January 8, 2006, in Mooresville, North Carolina, in the United States. Mooresville is a well-known hub of stock car racing, sometimes referred to as “Race City USA,” which placed Gould in the heart of the sport from a young age. Growing up in that environment gave him early and constant exposure to race shops, short tracks, and the wider culture of American motorsports.
Gould is the son of Phil Gould, a racing professional with ties to the Niece Motorsports organization. That family connection helped shape his understanding of the sport and provided a clear path into competitive racing. His early years were spent learning the craft in a region of North Carolina where stock car racing is woven into everyday life.
Path to NASCAR
Gould began his racing journey in 2019 in the Allison Legacy Series, a respected entry-level tour for young drivers. Across eight starts that year, he posted a best finish of fourth, which came at both Orange County Speedway events, and ended the season ninth in the final standings. He made one more start in the series the following year at Anderson Speedway, again finishing fourth and showing steady progress in a competitive field.
He then stepped into the NASCAR Late Model stock ranks, where he collected three wins in two seasons. Those victories came at Orange County Speedway, Florence Motor Speedway, and Hickory Motor Speedway between 2021 and 2022, demonstrating his ability to adapt to a variety of tracks. The strong Late Model results helped open the door to the national ARCA Menards Series, and in 2022 Niece Motorsports gave him his first start in that series at the Milwaukee Mile. That race was also a combination event, which served as his ARCA Menards Series East debut.
Matthew Michael Gould Career
Early Career (2019–2021)
Gould’s earliest documented stock car results came in 2019 on the Allison Legacy Series, where he ran a partial schedule and finished ninth in points. His best results that season were two fourth-place finishes at Orange County Speedway, the same track where he would later find Late Model success. He returned for one additional Legacy Series start in 2020, again finishing fourth at Anderson Speedway.
By 2021, Gould had graduated into the NASCAR Late Model stock ranks, where he began racking up wins at short tracks in the Carolinas and beyond. He continued to balance racing with school as a teenager, treating each Late Model start as another building block toward a national-level career.
ARCA Menards Series and East Breakthrough (2022–2023)
In 2022, Niece Motorsports announced that Gould would make his ARCA Menards Series debut at the Milwaukee Mile, driving the No. 40 Chevrolet. The event was a combination race with the ARCA Menards Series East, which also counted as his first start in that series. After qualifying twelfth, Gould finished one lap down in tenth position, completing a clean and learning-focused debut at one of the country’s oldest paved ovals.
He returned later in 2022 for the ARCA season finale at Toledo Speedway, again starting twelfth and bringing home an eighth-place result. In 2023, Gould made an additional ARCA start at Bristol Motor Speedway, this time driving the No. 42 Chevrolet for Cook Racing Technologies. The Bristol run was cut short after twelve laps due to overheating, but it gave him experience at one of NASCAR’s most demanding short tracks.
Niece Motorsports Era (2024–Present)
On August 16, 2024, Niece Motorsports announced that Gould would make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in the Truck race at Milwaukee, driving the team’s No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST. The debut was a significant milestone, marking his first national NASCAR touring-series start and reuniting him with the Niece Motorsports organization where his ARCA career had begun. Unlike in his earlier ARCA starts, Gould was paired with crew chief Tom Ackerman for the Truck debut, while his father Phil Gould continued as crew chief of the team’s No. 45 entry.
The Truck Series debut completed a steady climb that started in 2019 on the Allison Legacy Series and ran through ARCA and Late Model competition. Driving the No. 41 and No. 44 Silverado RSTs for Niece Motorsports, Gould continues to develop his skills as a young Chevrolet driver within one of the Truck Series’ established teams.
Driving Style and Strengths
Gould’s résumé to this point is built almost entirely on short-track racing, including Late Model events at Orange County Speedway, Florence Motor Speedway, Hickory Motor Speedway, Anderson Speedway, and Bristol Motor Speedway. That foundation has helped him learn the race craft, tire management, and restart discipline required to compete at national NASCAR levels. His work with crew chief Tom Ackerman in the Truck Series adds an experienced voice to guide his continued growth.
Notable Races and Milestones
His three NASCAR Late Model wins in 2021 and 2022 marked his first major stock car victories, and his tenth-place ARCA debut at the historic Milwaukee Mile served as a clear statement of his arrival at the national level. The 2024 Truck Series debut at Milwaukee with Niece Motorsports stands as his biggest career milestone to date and the foundation for what he hopes will be a longer run in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Matthew Michael Gould Career Wins
Matthew Michael Gould’s verified wins come from his time in the NASCAR Late Model stock series, where he earned three victories between 2021 and 2022. Those wins came at Orange County Speedway, Florence Motor Speedway, and Hickory Motor Speedway, all well-known short tracks in the southeastern United States. No wins are recorded at this point in the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
NASCAR Late Model Highlights
Across two seasons of Late Model competition, Gould built a consistent short-track résumé that included three wins, all at different venues. The Orange County, Florence, and Hickory victories gave him experience on a variety of track shapes and surfaces, an important part of any young driver’s development. Those results helped him earn the ARCA opportunity that followed in 2022.
Other Wins and Performances
Earlier in his career, Gould competed in the Allison Legacy Series, where his best finishes were two fourth-place results at Orange County Speedway in 2019 and a fourth at Anderson Speedway in 2020. While he did not visit Victory Lane in that series, those top finishes helped him progress into the NASCAR Late Model ranks.
Matthew Michael Gould Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Matthew Michael Gould comes from a racing family, with his father Phil Gould actively involved in the sport. Phil Gould currently serves as the crew chief of the No. 45 truck for Niece Motorsports, the same organization where Matthew has made his ARCA and Truck Series starts. That direct family link has given Matthew an inside understanding of team operations, race strategy, and the demands of professional stock car racing from a young age.
Personal Life
Gould was born and raised in Mooresville, North Carolina, a region closely tied to American motorsports. He balances his young racing career with the everyday life of a teenager growing up in the heart of NASCAR country, with family and racing serving as the two main pillars of his life so far.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, Matthew Michael Gould’s most recent national-level activity came with his 2024 Truck Series debut for Niece Motorsports at Milwaukee. That run, paired with crew chief Tom Ackerman, established a working relationship the team can build on if the program expands in 2025. His continued part-time status leaves room for additional starts if sponsorship and team plans line up.
As a young Chevrolet Silverado RST driver developing inside Niece Motorsports, Gould’s 2025 outlook centers on gaining more seat time, finishing races, and turning early ARCA and Truck experience into stronger on-track results. With his father Phil still part of the same team’s structure, the family-business angle remains a key part of his progression through the Truck Series ranks. Further announcements about his 2025 schedule, car numbers, and race-by-race results would clarify the shape of his season.