Christian Eckes from scratch after squandering his career with Kyle Busch Motorsports at the end of the 2020 season. While he made the playoffs at the age of 19, failing to win at KBM meant he found himself unemployed.
Eckes landed a part-time contract with ThorSport Racing and earned a win in 2021 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This led the team to sign him to the full roster for the 2022 Craftsman Truck Series. But to become a contender for the name, he once ran in the back of the top 10.
A replacement is needed, as Eckes showed consistency but not the raw speed needed to win week after week. He is leaving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, a well-known team in the ARCA Menards Series West that was promoted to the Truck Series in 2018. But like Eckes, the team never showed wonderful speed.
The team abandoned its original driver, Derek Kraus, who earned four top-five finishes in three full seasons. Kraus struggled with the No. 19 Chevrolet NAPA, and his second Colby Howard truck also underperformed.
Eckes took the lead for race #19 in 2023, with Jake Garcia as his teammate. The duo performed exceptionally well and Eckes won the third race of the year in Atlanta. He remained consistently fast, scoring wins at Darlington, Kansas and in the season finale at Phoenix. The victory in Phoenix, eliminated from the Championship 4, revitalized Eckes.
Determined to make 2024 the year he shines, Eckes now poses a serious risk to the championship. On Friday night he earned his third victory of the year in thirteen races, leading all 150 laps of the Nashville Superspeedway.
For Eckes, victory is nothing new. However, risking the championship is a primary achievement.
Not only does Eckes have 3 wins this year, but in addition to a challenge in Atlanta, he placed in the top 10 in each and every race. His speed and consistency made him the championship leader of the normal season, 40 points ahead of Corey Heim and 89 points ahead of third-place Nick Sanchez.
As the season progresses, so do the silly discussions about the season. Eckes’ call has emerged as an imaginable candidate for some of the Open Cup races in 2025. You may also spend a year or two on the Xfinity Series, if you can locate a top-tier team with a vacant spot.
However, Eckes functionality shows that sometimes 3 tries bring luck.
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