Eckes Returns to “Thunder Valley” Looking for Repeat Victory
Venue: Bristol Motor Speedway
Event: Tennessee Army National Guard 250
Date: Friday, April 10
Location: Bristol, TN
Track Description: 0.533-mile oval
Distance: 250 laps, 133.25 miles (7:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, Performance Racing Network, SiriusXM)
Banking on Bristol Bonus … Christian Eckes enters the first short track event of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series (NCTS) season banking on contending for the final $50,000 Triple Truck Challenge bonus. The driver of the No. 91 Columbia Bank Chevrolet Silverado RST is a former Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) winner, looking for a second sword on Friday night. The 2024 BMS spring race winner has been a consistent performer in “Thunder Valley” and looks to pocket his second career $50k bonus check. Eckes has been a familiar fixture out front at Bristol with 294 laps led over five NCTS starts.
Colosseum Gladiator … Throughout his career, Eckes has been one of the fiercest gladiators at “The Last Great Colosseum”. His victory in March of 2024 led an MHR stranglehold by placing three trucks in the top-five at the checkered flag and he also owns a pair of pole awards. Eckes has performed at an elite level in his last three NCTS starts at BMS with a victory and results of fourth or better in each event. He has recorded four top-10’s in five total outings and has never finished worse than 12th. In 2025, Eckes also posted a pair of top-10 results at “The World’s Fastest Half Mile” during his rookie season in the former NASCAR Xfinity Series. His NCTS resume boasts three short track victories as he looks to add a fourth on Friday night at BMS.
Season to Date … Through five of 18 regular season events, Eckes stands seventh in the NCTS standings and has separated himself on the provisional cut line by 30 points. He sits 25 points out of the top five after securing a pair of podium finishes and only one result outside the top-15.
Tune In … Coverage from “Thunder Valley” begins on Friday afternoon with practice and qualifying at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2. Race coverage moves to FOX Sports 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Stay connected with the No. 91 Columbia Bank team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmr_nascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Christian Eckes Quote:
On returning to Bristol as a former winner:
“I’ve always looked forward to racing at Bristol, and we’ve had some good success there in the past. The win in ’24 was a great accomplishment for everyone at MHR and all our trucks were really fast that night. Hopefully we can have some similar speed in our Columbia Bank Chevrolet this week. It’s always a challenge to keep up with the track as the PJ1 wears off throughout the race. Finding the top at the right time, if it comes in, is a big element during the night, for sure. Hopefully we can unload with some speed and continue our track record of qualifying well there. If we can keep elevating our level of execution, we’ll put ourselves in a position to contend.”