Christian Eckes wins in Bristol

Redemption tastes particularly sweet for Christian Eckes in the NASCAR Truck Series at Bristol. Following a bitter defeat last year, Eckes clinched a decisive victory last Saturday, beating Kyle Busch in the final laps of the Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Let's remember that in last year's playoff race of the series at Bristol, Eckes lost the lead to Corey Heim with just six laps remaining, missing victory by a mere 0.218 seconds. That result prevented Eckes from advancing to the Championship 4 in Phoenix, where his win at the season's end was a consolation prize, but did not award him the title.

Last Saturday, the story was different for Eckes. He moved ahead of Busch on lap 159 and maintained the lead for the remaining 92 laps. Busch made a final intense but insufficient effort, finishing 0.141 seconds behind the series leader in truck victories.

“This is really good,” said Eckes, celebrating his first win of the season, his first at Bristol, and the sixth of his career. “This victory has a lot behind it, from not making it to the Championship 4 last year to the struggles in the first three races of this season. Coming back and performing well shows the team's strength.”

With his victory in the No. 19 Silverado of McAnally Hilgemann Racing, Eckes continues Chevrolet's winning streak in the 2024 series.

During the sixth and final caution, which held back Busch for eight laps, Busch communicated to his team, "We are a second or maybe third place truck." Despite this, Busch chased Eckes after the restart on lap 227 of 250. Although he reduced Eckes's lead, which was over a second, he could not overtake him.

Busch commented on the challenges faced during the race, including adjustments to the tires and difficulties in adapting to them.

Zane Smith finished third, followed by three-time series champion Matt Crafton and Tyler Ankrum, who extended his lead in the series standings. Corey Heim, Taylor Gray, Rajah Caruth, Grant Enfinger, and rookie Sunoco Layne Riggs rounded out the top ten.