Eckes seeks to find victory lane in florida finale
Venue: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Event: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series Championship
Date: Friday, November 6
Location: Homestead, FL
Track Description: 1.5-mile oval
Distance: 134 laps / 201 miles (7:30 p.m. ET – FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network, SiriusXM)
Chasing a “W” … As the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series (NCTS) turns back to Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS) for the season finale, Christian Eckes is chasing that elusive victory to end 2026 in noteworthy fashion. The driver of the No. 91 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST has had a strong Chase over the first six races with three top-five’s and four top-10 results. Three runner-up finishes over the past five races has Eckes yearning for a victory to underscore his homecoming season with MHR and secure a top-five result in the drivers’ point standings.
Hungry for More … MHR recently announced that Eckes is primed to return to the No. 91 Chevrolet in 2027 and hungry to accomplish more next season. The second half of 2026 has seen the No. 91 squad turn up the wick in performance with six top-five finishes in the last 11 races, ever since Eckes finished fifth at Lime Rock Park in July. South Florida’s HMS offers the perfect setting for him to break into the win column, as Eckes has scored one top-five and four top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile oval in his five previous starts. He’s managed to find the front of the pack in three of his five Homestead starts, and hopes his sixth appearance yields his first HMS trophy.
Season to Date … Eckes has constructed a strong, consistent season through 24 races with nine top-five’s and 15 top-10 finishes. He enters the finale fifth in the NCTS Chase standings, 37 points behind third, and has scored three stage wins with an average finish of 12.5.
Tune In … Activity for the season finale begins Thursday evening with practice from HMS at 6:30 p.m. ET on The NASCAR Channel. Friday’s action gets underway at 2:30 p.m. ET with qualifying on FOX Sports 2, followed by the green flag at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Stay connected with the No. 91 NAPA Auto Care team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmr_nascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Christian Eckes Quote:
On finishing the season at Homestead:
“We’ve had a decent Chase, but certainly not where we’d like to be. Our No. 91 team and everyone at MHR have done a good job of finding more speed throughout the year but still want to improve and bring a fast NAPA Auto Care Chevy to the track this week. We lacked a little pace at Homestead in ’23 and ’24, but I feel good about the balance we’ve had in our intermediate trucks this fall. It’ll be pretty hot this weekend, track temps will be up, for sure. We need to work hard and be efficient in practice to give ourselves a good balance throughout the race on Friday night.”