Eckes Rejoins Top-Five in Points at Watkins Glen

Venue: Watkins Glen International

FINISH: 16th

Start: 15th

Laps Led: 0

NCTS Point Standings Position: 5th

Christian Eckes turned a trying day into a productive outcome on Friday evening at Watkins Glen International. The driver of the No. 91 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST netted one position in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series (NCTS) championship standings to fifth despite a 16th-place finish. The NAPA Auto Care team responded from two on-track incidents and a pit road violation to advance from 23rd to 16th on the overtime restart and reenter the top-five in points.

Eckes and crew chief Dave Elenz began practice with a cautious approach as the track opened in damp conditions on Friday morning. As the 2.45-mile circuit dried out into qualifying, Eckes posted the 15th-fastest lap in group qualifying. When the green flag waved in chilly, sunny conditions, Eckes began to march forward in the opening laps. Halfway through the first stage, he reported that the braking capability of his Chevrolet was fading due to excessive heat. On lap 18, two laps shy of the first stage caution, contact from the No. 10 truck sent Eckes spinning into the Turn 1 tire pack while running 13th, and was scored 17th at the end of the segment on lap 20.

During the first stage caution, Elenz brought Eckes to pit road for four tires, fuel, adjustments and repairs to the left rear wheel well. He restarted 32nd on lap 24 and blitzed forward during the second segment, which ran under green flag conditions. Eckes was able to wheel the NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet up to 16th by the end of Stage 2 on lap 40.

He made his second four-tire pit stop under the caution but was nabbed for a pit road interference violation entering his stall. He restarted 27th on lap 45 and drove to 18th before a caution on lap 58 allowed him to pit for fuel to make it to the finish. He restarted 18th on lap 61 but caught a piece of a multi-truck accident in Turn 1 on lap 65. Eckes sustained damage to both the left and right sides of his Silverado RST and was ultimately forced to pit to repair the damage and change a left rear tire. Despite the damage, he gained seven positions on the final overtime restart to finish 16th.

Christian Eckes Quote:

“Certainly not a clean day by any stretch. Proud of the NAPA Auto Care team for continuing to work on this thing throughout the day and kept responding to all the adversity. Staying in the game like that and salvaging some points is what gets us back to the top-five in points. Plenty of things to clean up before we go to San Diego but looking forward to Dover next week.”