(Statesville, N.C) – Christian Eckes is coming home in 2026. McAnally-Hilgemann Racing announced today that Eckes is returning to the organization to compete full-time in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series (NCTS) in 2026. The 2024 NCTS regular season titlist will drive the No. 91 Chevrolet Silverado RST in pursuit of his first championship. Eckes will be paired with Dave Elenz, who will serve as crew chief and lead the No. 91 team.
Craftsman Truck Series
Niece Motorsports Tabs Tyler Reif as Anchor Driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet in 2026
Salisbury, NC (November 19, 2025) – After earning a top-10 finish in his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) debut, Henderson, Nevada’s Tyler Reif has been signed on for a larger schedule with Niece Motorsports beginning next year.
Reif, 18, is a multi-time winner across ARCA Menards Series, Pro Late Models, Jr. Late Models, and U.S. Legends Cars competition. His consistency produced an ARCA Menards Series West owner championship in 2024. This year, Reif primarily competed in ARCA East, finishing second in the points standings.
ECOSAVE Named Title Sponsor of NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race at Dover Motor Speedway
DOVER, Del. (Nov. 18, 2025) — ECOSAVE, a commercial and industrial energy-efficiency company, will serve as the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Dover Motor Speedway’s one-mile concrete oval on Friday, May 15, 2026. The event — the ECOSAVE 200 — marks the first time the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will compete at The Monster Mile since 2020.
Ram Launches Free Agent Driver Program for a Ram 1500 Spot in 2026 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Creating Opportunity for New Talent
Drivers from across the motorsports world are invited to pilot the No. 25 Ram 1500 truck for Kaulig Racing during the 2026 season- Identity of the Free Agent driver will be shared just before each race, keeping the program fresh and unpredictable
- First Free Agent driver will be chosen and revealed in February 2026
- Full-time drivers Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, Daniel Dye, and Justin Haley will anchor three of the five Ram 1500 entries
Ram is shaking up the grid with a bold new initiative for its return to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2026. The brand today announced a unique Free Agent Program for the No. 25 Ram 1500 for Kaulig Racing — bringing an unexpected and unknown lineup of drivers from different racing disciplines to compete throughout the season.
How Did The Northeastern NASCAR Drivers Do At Phoenix?
Editor’s note: this was delayed in posting due to webmaster’s mini-vacation…
Ryan Blaney won the Cup race. Joey Logano of Middletown, CT came in fourth while Ryan Preece of Berlin, CT ended his day in ninth.Jesse Love won the Xfinity race. Justin Bonsignore of Long Island, NY came in tenth while Anthony Alfredo of Ridgewood, CT made the top ten. Not so fortunate was Patrick Emerling of Long Island, NY who ended his day in 36th.
In the Trucks it was Corey Heim going to Victory Lane. Corey LaJoie ended up seventh, while Gio Ruggiero of Seekonk, MA had a tough day and ended up 31st.
Front Row Motorsports Extends Layne Riggs in Multi-Year Agreement
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (October 29, 2025) – Layne Riggs is set to return to the No. 34 Ford F-150 for Front Row Motorsports (FRM) in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS), signing a multi-year contract extension with the organization.
Currently in his second full-time NCTS season, the 23-year-old Bahama, North Carolina native has earned three wins, three poles, 12 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes this season. With this, Riggs made his first career playoff berth for the Truck Series, making it to the Round of 8 and barely missing out on the Championship Four by one point.
Corey LaJoie Will Drive For Spire Motorsports In The Truck Series At Phoenix
Corey LaJoie will race Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Gainbridge Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway.
Last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, LaJoie registered a fifth-place showing after battling water temperature issues early. The Concord, N.C., native rallied from outside the top 20 to secure his third top-five finish of the 2025 campaign.
How Did The Northeast Drivers Fare At Martinsville?
William Byron won the Martinsville Cup race with Ryan Preece coming in sixth. Joey Logano of Middletown, CT finished eighth.
Taylor Gray won the Xfinity event while Justin Bonsignore of Long Island, NY came in tenth. Anthony Alfredo of Ridgewood, CT ended up 16th. Not so lucky was Thomas Annunziata, who ended up 38th.
In the Trucks, it was Corey Heim who made the trip to Victory Lane, while Gio Ruggerio of Seekonk, MA ended up 11th
Stefan Parsons to Pilot Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevy Silverado at Phoenix Raceway
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (October 27, 2025) –Stefan Parsons will pilot Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season finale at Phoenix Raceway where Transportation Charter Services (TCS) will be showcased as the team’s primary sponsor.
The Cornelius, N.C., native is the son of former NASCAR Cup Series star and current FOX Sports broadcaster Phil Parsons and the nephew of the late Benny Parsons, the 1973 Cup Series champion. Stefan Parsons competes part-time in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
Goodyear Racing Notes – Phoenix Raceway
NASCAR Cup Series teams will run a familiar Goodyear Racing Eagle tire setup at this weekend’s Championship Race, though it will mark the first time these tires have run at Phoenix Raceway.
After racing the prime and option tire setups at Phoenix in March, the Cup Series returns to a single tire specification for the season finale on the 1-mile dogleg oval. This tire setup has previously been used at several short tracks this year, most recently at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September. The right-side tire also ran last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, paired with a new left-side tire.