Eckes Looks to Close Regular Season Strong at Richmond
No Time Quite Like the Present … There’s no time quite like the present for Christian Eckes and the MHR team to hit their stride as one race stands in their way before the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) playoffs begin. The driver of the No. 19 Instacoat Premium Products Chevrolet Silverado RST comes to Richmond Raceway as one of the preemptive playoff favorites and looks to close out the 16-race regular season on a high note. Eckes has constructed his most successful campaign in his first stint with MHR by achieving the first multi-win season of his young career. He currently carries a streak of consistency with four finishes of seventh or better in the last five races, dating back to a second-place result at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 3rd.
History in Richmond … Once again, Richmond plays host to the pivotal cut-off race for the regular season, just as it did for the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series “Chase for the Cup” format in 2004. Eckes has made two prior starts at the Commonwealth’s three-quarter mile facility, tallying a best finish of eighth in last year’s event. He made his Richmond debut in 2020 en route to his first playoff berth, and looks to add to his short track stat line in his third start. In 12 previous NCTS starts at six different short tracks, Eckes has earned five top-10 finishes. If he’s able to notch his first-career short track triumph, it’s mathematically possible for Eckes to begin the playoffs as the point leader, depending on the outcome of Saturday’s event.
Season to Date … Eckes is tied with four other full-time NCTS competitors for the most race wins (two) this season. His victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway, combined with four stage wins, have him sixth in the regular season standings and currently tied for third on the projected playoff grid. He has earned five top-five and eight top-10 results with an average finish of 13.1.
Chassis Selection … Crew chief Charles Denike and the Instacoat Premium Products squad have prepared chassis No. 321 for Eckes to wheel at Richmond. He most recently piloted this Silverado RST to a runner-up finish and 46-point effort at World Wide Technology Raceway last month. Saturday’s 250-lapper marks just the second outing of the season for chassis No. 321.
Tune In … Coverage from Richmond begins on FOX Sports 1 with NASCAR Raceday on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET, followed by the green flag at 7:30 p.m. ET. Stay connected with the No. 19 Instacoat Premium Products team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmrnascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Christian Eckes Quote:
On ending the regular season at Richmond:
“Our focus from the start of the season was to compete for a championship, and our whole Instacoat Premium Products team is looking forward to doing that in the playoffs. We can help our chances by running up front and hopefully getting another win at Richmond this weekend. We’ve been finding our consistency in the last month or two, and I feel like we keep improving and running well at just about every place we go. We’ve made some gains at some of the flat tracks recently, and this is the same truck we ran second with at Gateway, so we’re optimistic about Richmond. I feel like we’re definitely trending in the right direction at the right time, so hopefully we can compete for the win this week.”