Eckes Comes from Tail in San Diego to Finish Top-10

Venue: Coronado Naval Base

FINISH: 9th

Start: 30th

Laps Led: 0

NCTS Point Standings Position: 5th

Christian Eckes recorded an improbable comeback to finish ninth at Coronado Naval Base on Friday evening after starting near the rear of the field in a backup truck. The driver of the No. 91 Columbia Bank Chevrolet Silverado RST displayed immense resilience, rallying from the tail of the pack on numerous occasions, including a 25th to ninth run on the final green-white-checkered restart. Eckes’ effort netted him 29 points, protected fifth position in the standings, and closed to within 26 markers of third.

Eckes and the No. 91 team showcased strong pace in Friday’s practice sessions in the commemorative Jolly Rogers color scheme that featured seven veteran-owned clients of Columbia Bank of the bed top. However, Eckes made contact with the tire barrier in Turn 11 in qualifying, causing terminal damage to the primary truck. After the team prepared the backup truck, Eckes took the green flag in 30th and advanced to 18th in two laps. He pitted to address handling issues during a caution period at lap five and went climbed from 26th to 16th at the end of Stage 1 on lap 12.

Crew chief Dave Elenz and team serviced Eckes under the first stage caution for four tires and adjustments to improve the rear grip of his Chevrolet. He restarted 21st on lap 17 and climbed to 15th before green flag pit stops began. Eckes stayed on track during the cycle and earned one point in 10th position at the end of Stage 2 at lap 24.

During the second stage yellow flag, Eckes pitted for four tires and fuel, off-sequence from most of the field, and restarted 27th on lap 28. He drove to 18th when a caution flew on lap 33, and Elenz elected to keep him on track, planning to run to the finish without pitting. Eckes lined up eighth on lap 36 and held that position when a caution flew on lap 40 to bunch the field up for the final 10 laps. A caution on lap 47 set up a tense restart where Eckes maintained the eighth position but was forced to pit when another yellow flew on lap 49. Elenz and team made the prudent decision to pit for tires and fuel leading into the green-white-checkered restart, and Eckes tore his way through the field. He blitzed his way from 25th to 12th in one lap and crossed the finish line 10th. He was credited with a ninth-place result after penalties were assessed on the final lap.

Christian Eckes Quote:

“What a chaotic day for our team. We had a beautiful Jolly Rogers paint scheme on our Columbia Bank Chevrolet and had good speed too. I felt good about our balance and pace in practice but made a mistake in qualifying. Everyone at McAnally-Hilgemann Racing jumped in to get our truck prepared and we made the most of it today. We still had decent pace but just struggled with the balance under braking all day. Great calls by Dave to keep us on a tire advantage and take track position when we could. Just glad we could make it a positive at the end of the day.