Eckes’ Season Hits High Gear in Las Vegas
Venue: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Event: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200
Date: Friday, March 1st
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Track Description: 1.5-mile tri oval
Distance: 134 laps, 201 miles (9:00 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network)
Eckes’ Season Hit High Gear in Vegas … Christian Eckes’s 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) campaign hits high gear this week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS). After two drafting races began the season, the driver of the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST gets his first true litmus test of the year in “Sin City”. LVMS’ 1.5-mile layout is a more ample depiction of the NCTS calendar and provides the NAPA Auto Care team a prime opportunity to lock into the playoffs. Last March, Eckes ran inside the top-10 for most of the evening at LVMS and came home with a sixth-place finish.
So Far, So Strong … While Eckes and company haven’t tallied the results they would have liked through two races, the No. 19 team has clearly been one of the strongest teams in the NCTS garage. Eckes rallied to a 10th-place result in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway after battling through multiple incidents and displayed incredible strength at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) last Saturday. The 23-year-old was dominant in the first stage at AMS and captured the Stage 1 win by leading 20 of the first 30 laps after starting in fifth. An unfortunate brake issue forced a premature end to Eckes’ afternoon, but he and the No. 19 team are focused to bring that same performance and energy to LVMS.
Former Vegas Winner … LVMS will always have a significant place in Eckes’ career as it’s the site of his first NCTS victory. Eckes broke through for his first checkered flag in September of 2021 during a part-time season. That win helped propel him to be a full-time contender over the past two seasons and playoff threat. Eckes has put up fantastic numbers at Vegas in his seven previous starts. His victory is one of two top-three finishes and has five top-10 results. He’s led in five LVMS races for a total of 27 laps and will pursue his fourth NCTS victory on a 1.5-mile track Friday night.
Tune In … Eckes and his MHR teammates have a one-day show at LVMS. FOX Sports 1’s coverage begins with practice and qualifying at 4:30 p.m. ET. NASCAR Raceday goes live at 8:00 p.m. ET followed by the green flag at 9:00 p.m. ET. Stay connected with the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmrnascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Christian Eckes Quote:
On the first non-drafting race of the season:
“Our NAPA Auto Care team is really looking forward to this week at Las Vegas. The first intermediate race of the season is always important to start the year off right and gives you a good gauge of where you’re at. We felt like we ended the season pretty good at those tracks last year, but obviously want to take another step and improve. We had really good speed in race trim at Daytona and Atlanta, so hopefully we can continue that this week at Las Vegas.”