Eckes Leads the Way to Long Pond, PA with Points Lead
Venue: Pocono Raceway
Event: CRC Brakleen 175
Date: Friday, July 12
Location: Long Pond, PA
Track Description: 2.5-mile quad oval
Distance: 70 laps, 175 miles (5:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network)
Leading in Long Pond … Three races remain in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) regular season and Christian Eckes continues to carry the championship lead into Long Pond, Pa. The driver of the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST is chasing his first-career regular season title and the prize of 15 playoff points that accompanies that accomplishment. The Middletown, N.Y. driver has led the standings for six of the last seven races thanks to unrelenting consistency and elite performances. Eckes enters his sixth NCTS start at Pocono Raceway fresh off a dominant win at Nashville Superspeedway (NSS) where he led all 150 laps for his third victory of the season.
The Dominator … Not only is Eckes a multi-race winner this season, but he has also been the dominator. He currently carries a 14-race streak of leading at least one lap including all 13 events this season. He has led a staggering 614 laps thus far, shattering his previous career-high of 351 from a year ago. Consistency is a major reason why Eckes leads the standings as his last 11 races have yielded top-10 finishes. During that stretch, Eckes tied his career-high of four consecutive top-five finishes and has won three of the last 10 races. In five previous starts at the “Tricky Triangle”, Eckes has one top-five and three top-10 results. Four years ago, Eckes came agonizingly close to victory when we suffered a flat tire while leading with 11 laps to go. He hopes to rectify that unfinished business on Friday evening and pull in to victory lane for the fourth time this season.
Season to Date … Eckes holds a 40-point advantage with three races remaining in the regular season standings. He’s captured three iconic trophies from Bristol Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, and NSS this season, along with seven top-five finishes and a series-leading 12 top-10’s. Eckes also leads all NCTS drivers with an average finish of 6.8. The magnitude of his efforts this season are also evident from his 7.46 average running position, 223 fastest laps run, and a 113.0 driver rating.
Tune In … All on-track activity from Pocono Raceway will be carried live across FOX Sports’ platforms. FOX Sports 2 will air practice and qualifying beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET, followed by the green flag on FOX Sports 1 at 5:30 p.m. ET. Stay connected with the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmrnascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Christian Eckes Quote:
On racing at Pocono and the stretch run of the regular season:
“Having three wins at this point of the season is a good feeling and we’ve put ourselves in a great spot. We just need to keep the pedal down and execute at this level every week. I think our entire NAPA Auto Care team showed what we’re capable of at Nashville and there’s no reason we can’t have the same result at Pocono this week. Pocono is a tough place. It’s a challenging racetrack on us drivers to get in a rhythm and to get the truck to do what we need. I’ve got a lot of confidence in (crew chief) Charles (Denike) and our NAPA team that we can be up front and contend for another one on Friday.”