Daniel Hemric and Christian Eckes will return to McAnally-Hilgemann Racing for the 2027 NASACR FedEx Freight Truck Series season, the team announced Tuesday. Hemric will drive the No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado for the third consecutive season, while Eckes will return for his second season in the No. 91.
“It’s nice to have 2027 planned out already”, Eckes said. “We want to accomplish much more in ’27 than we did this year and feel strong about the plan we have in place to do it. The speed we’ve generated in the second half of this season has given us a lot of confidence to start next year strong and make the most of the opportunity with NAPA, Columbia Bank, and Motion.”
“Our No. 19 team and the company certainly got stronger as the year progressed”, Hemric said. “All our partners, NAPA, Motion, and Columbia Bank have given us a great chance to build together in 2027. There is plenty of hunger internally to build the right culture and prepare the right way for a strong start next year.”
Meet the Drivers
Daniel Hemric moved to the No. 19 truck in 2025, ending a three year stint at Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts series. The 2021 O’Reilly champion has one victory and two postseason appearances with MHR.
Before Hemric took over the No. 19 Christian Eckes drove the truck full-time. Eckes has been with MHR in some form since the 2023 season. 2023 and 2024 saw full season efforts in the No. 19, with Eckes scoring seven of his eight victories and his best points finish of third. He then made two starts for the team in 2025 in the No. 16 while competing full-time in O’Reilly for Kaulig Racing. Eckes returned to MHR full-time this season.
2026 Review and 2027 Preview
While both Hemric and Eckes made the Chase, their 2026 seasons have left room for improvement. Neither has won a race or truly contended for the championship this year. However, as both said, their results strengthened in the second half of the season. Eckes went from three top-fives in the opening 13 races to six in the past 11, while Hemric went from one top-five and three top-10s to two top-fives and seven top-10s in the same time frame.
Tyler Ankrum has confirmed that he will not return to the organization, while Kris Wright’s status with the No. 81 team is unknown. Eckes and Hemric may gain at least one new teammate in 2027, with multiple drivers having been rumored for the open seats. MHR will announce the remainder of its 2027 lineup at a later date.
