Christian Eckes leapt to third in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings on Sunday thanks to a sixth-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Eckes, who drives the No. 91 Chevrolet for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, led 33 laps and was the second-highest finishing driver in the Chevy stable.
“I’m disappointed, but at the same time we haven’t had that kind of race-dominating speed,” Eckes told Frontstretch after the race. “I’m very thrilled about that. We’ll move onto Nashville [Superspeedway] and hopefully have the same thing.”
The backbone of Eckes’ stellar points day was his ability to accumulate stage points. With a win in Stage 1 and second-place showing in Stage 2, Eckes netted 19 points on top of the 32 he earned with his finish. Eckes’ 51-point day was the second-highest yield in the race after winner Layne Riggs (73).
Beyond stage points, as Eckes alluded to, the No. 91 Chevrolet had more all-around speed on Sunday than it has in most races this season. That enabled him led 33 out of 110 laps, more than anyone except Riggs. Outside of Cup Series drivers who aren’t eligible for Truck Series points, Eckes and his MHR teammate Daniel Hemric were the only Chevy drivers able to land their trucks in the top-ten.
In a season largely dominated by drivers not racing for the Truck Series title, Eckes has more laps led than any of his full-time peers. His 173 circuits out front is better than both points leader Kaden Honeycutt and runner-up Layne Riggs, and is second only to Corey Heim’s 213.
Leaving Charlotte, Eckes is now 71 points behind Kaden Honeycutt. Riggs is now closely in the hunt, 11 behind Honeycutt. With his sixth-place drive on Sunday, Eckes passed Ty Majeski, Chandler Smith, and Gio Ruggiero.
