Eckes Reclaims Point Lead with Top-Three Finish at Milwaukee
Venue: The Milwaukee Mile
FINISH: 3rd
Start: 3rd
Stage 1: 3rd
Stage 2: 1st
Laps Led: 71
NCTS Point Standings Position: 1st
Christian Eckes regained the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series (NCTS) playoff standings lead with a third-place finish on Sunday afternoon at The Milwaukee Mile. The driver of the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST notched his sixth-consecutive podium finish and banked his ninth stage win of the season. Eckes now has a 16-point advantage at the top of the championship standings and a 60-point margin on the provisional cut line. He accumulated 52 points on the afternoon, second-most among all drivers in the field, and led a race-high 71 laps.
After starting third, Eckes instantly jumped into second position and hounded the race leader during the first segment. Even while contesting a tight condition in the center and exit of both corners, he caught the leader on lap 42 and took the top spot on lap 43. Eckes led laps for the 18th-consecutive race before an untimely caution flag flew prior to the end of Stage 1. Crew chief Charles Denike brought Eckes to pit road for fresh tires, fuel, and a small adjustment during the yellow. As Stage 1 ended under caution, he collected eight points in third position after two trucks stayed on track.
When the race resumed on lap 63, Eckes rocketed out to the lead and began to drive away from the field. The entire second stage ran clean and green and featured a dominant stint by Eckes. He drove to a nearly three-second lead and captured 10 points and his ninth stage win at lap 110.
The NAPA Auto Care team ripped off an exceptional pit stop to keep Eckes in the lead during the yellow flag pit cycle. On lap 120, Eckes restarted in the lead, but a tight condition hampered his short run speed and settled into third position. The remainder of the event ran under the green flag for the final 56 laps and Eckes earned his 11th top-five of the season, taking the checkered flag in third.
Christian Eckes Quote:
“I feel like we let that one slip, for sure. I knew it was going to get too tight. I thought the track was going to tighten up and I didn’t lead my guys good enough to get it freed up. It’s a good NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet. This will go to Phoenix next, so it’s definitely a good piece.”
