christian eckes | The MotorSportsNews.Net(work)

All “Rhodes” Lead to Second Consecutive Daytona Triumph (full finishing order)

by MikeFebruary 20, 2021

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 19, 2021) – Ben Rhodes wrapped up a perfect pair of race outings at Daytona International Speedway answering his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory on the oval last week with a dramatic win Friday night on the infield road coursing the BrakeBest Select 159 Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts. (more…)

John Hunter Nemechek – No. 4 Fire Alarm Services Tundra Camping World Trucks Daytona Preview

by MikeFebruary 11, 2021

John Hunter Nemechek will make his much anticipated Kyle Busch Motorsports debut driving the No. 4 Fire Alarm Services Tundra Friday night in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season-opening event at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. (more…)

Will Cox III Joins JR Motorsports Late Model Team for 2021

by MikeJanuary 12, 2021

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 11, 2021) – Will Cox III will join JR Motorsports’ championship-winning Late Model team for 2021, partnering with 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion Josh Berry to round out JRM’s two-car effort. The 15-year-old Raleigh, N.C. native will compete in his first full-time Late Model season and join a list of drivers with the program that includes Anthony Alfredo, William Byron, Christian Eckes, Sam Mayer and others. He will also be a member of the Chevrolet Driver’s Edge Development team for 2021. (more…)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series News & Notes – Atlanta Motor Speedway

by MikeJune 4, 2020June 4, 2020

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
Next Race: Vet Tix/Camping World 200
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, June 6
The Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200.02 miles (130 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 134)
2019 Winner: Kyle Busch

Bounty acquired

The bounty hunter, Chase Elliott, set out to capture the win on Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway and on the first try, he was successful.

In the closing laps of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, Elliott held off a hard-charging Kyle Busch to earn the victory and a $100,000 bounty, to be paid to a COVID-19 relief charity of his choice, offered to any full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver who could beat Busch in a Gander Trucks race.

Elliott, who hadn’t been behind the wheel of a truck since 2017, made it happen despite the fact that Busch had won each of his last seven races started in the Gander Trucks.

The idea of the bounty all started when Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick and chairman and CEO of Gander RV & Outdoors, Marcus Lemonis, each put up $50,000 following the Las Vegas event for any Cup driver who could beat Busch in a Gander Trucks race. The money is being donated to coronavirus relief in Elliott’s name.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Zane Smith finished third in his first national series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Brett Moffitt finished fourth and Sheldon Creed rounded out the top five. John Hunter Nemechek, who was also going after the bounty, finished sixth, Johnny Sauter finished seventh followed by Ty Majeski, Austin Hill and Ben Rhodes.

Tuesday’s race marked the return for the Gander Trucks, which had been off since Feb. 21 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

They enter another off weekend while the Xfinity Series and Cup Series head to Bristol Motor Speedway, but return on June 6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Starting lineup, pit stall selection process updates
NASCAR recently announced how the lineup will be set for the two Gander Trucks races through mid-June (Atlanta, June 6; Miami, June 13).

• Positions 1-10: Random draw of teams in those positions in owner points
• Positions 11-21: Random draw of teams in those positions in owner points
• Positions 22-32: Random draw of teams in those positions in owner points
• Any vehicles that are eligible for the Event in position 33rd – 40th will be assigned starting positions based on their order of eligibility.

Like the other two series, pit stall selections will be ordered based on finishing positions from the series’ previous race, followed by new entries in order of points.

Here is a look at the Gander Trucks points standings:

DRIVER	POINTS	BEHIND	WINS
*Austin Hill*	120	0	0
*Johnny Sauter*	103	-17	0
*Zane Smith*	103	-17	0
*Ben Rhodes*	99	-21	0
*Brett Moffitt*	98	-22	1
*Sheldon Creed*	90	-30	0
*Grand Enfinger*	81	-39	1
*Christian Eckes*	78	-42	0
*Tyler Ankrum*	76	-44	0
*Codie Rohrbaugh*	12	-48	0

Notable Quotables from Xfinity & Gander Outdoors Drivers About Atlanta

by MikeJune 3, 2020June 3, 2020

We’ve collected a series of quotes from various Xfinity and Gander Outdoors Truck Series drivers concerning the upcoming race at Atlanta…
(more…)

Christian Eckes – No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra Gander Trucks Charlotte Preview

by MikeMay 22, 2020

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Overview:

Event: N.C. Education Lottery 200, Race 3 of 23, 134 Laps – 30/30/74; 201 Miles

Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile quad-oval)

Date/Broadcast: May 26, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

What You Need to Know:

Nineteen-year-old Christian Eckes will make his first NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway driving the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) in Tuesday night’s N.C. Education Lottery 200. While he has no prior Gander Trucks experience at Charlotte, Eckes started fifth and finished seventh in last year’s ARCA Menards Series event at the 1.5-mile quad-oval.

Eckes has proven to be fast in the first two events of the 2020 season, but accidents in the final stage at both Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway have relegated him to an average finish of 22.5. While the first two events haven’t ended the way Eckes would like, the talented teenager has posted an average finish of 5.0 across the opening two stages of the first two events, including runner-up finishes to KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch in the first two stages at Las Vegas.

As part of being able to collect stage points in three of the six stages of the opening two events, Eckes currently sits eighth in the Gander Trucks driver point standings despite not having strong finishes. He currently sits second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, two points behind Zane Smith.

Across 14 career Gander Trucks starts, the New York native has produced three poles, three top-five and seven top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 13.1. Eckes earned a career-best third-place finish twice last season, at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway in Sept. and again at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway in Nov., where he clinched KBM’s record-extending seventh owner’s championship.

The talented teenager captured the 2019 ARCA Menards Series championship after recording four wins, two poles, 400 laps led, 13 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes, resulting in an average finish of 4.8 across 19 starts. Across 46 career ARCA Menards Series starts overall, Eckes has collected seven wins, four poles, 1094 laps led, 23 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 6.9.

Eckes is paired with champion crew chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle. Fugle has guided his team to five owner’s championships (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019) as a crew chief at KBM, including combined owner’s/driver’s championships with Erik Jones in 2015 and Christopher Bell in 2017. The New York native’s drivers have combined for 28 wins, 24 poles, 71 top-five and 107 top-10 finishes across his 138 races calling the shots for the organization.

Fugle’s drivers have two wins, one pole, four top-five and six top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 5.4 at Charlotte. Owner-driver Kyle Busch led a race-high 102 laps en route to victory in last year’s event and was also victorious with Fugle calling the shots in 2013. The 2013 victory was Fugle’s first of 28 career victories as a Gander Trucks crew chief.

Safelite AutoGlass, the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services, will adorn the hood of Eckes’ No. 18 Tundra for all 23 events on NASCAR Gander RV& Outdoors schedule in 2020.

Christian Eckes, Driver Q&A

Christian Eckes Charlotte Q&A

Are you preparing Charlotte any differently knowing that there will be no practice and no qualifying?

“Honestly not too much. Most of these races that we go to in the Truck Series I haven’t been to in a truck, so I’m always preparing to be better and get ready for that race track. We’ve done a lot of time in the simulator now that it’s opened back up. I think we’ve done a good job with that and that we should be prepared when we unload at Charlotte.”

What have you done to stay busy since the last NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race?

“It’s definitely been different, but luckily we’ve had a lot of race preparation. Me and Rudy (Fugle, crew chief), have been on zoom conference calls pretty much every week. We’ve done a great job of getting ahead and kind of preparing for whatever comes next. I’d definitely say we are prepared. That’s what I’ve done over this little break.”

Will it be different racing without fans? Once you get in your truck, do you notice the fans?

“It will definitely be different without fans. Our Safelite supporters that come out mean a lot to me and in the meantime not having them there it’s definitely going to be different. The great fans throughout auto racing that come to the race track – it’s going to be different. I’ve kind of grown up racing and always having fans in the stands. It’s definitely different for sure, but hopefully we put on a good show for the fans watching on the couch instead of at the race track.”

Christian Eckes Career Highlights:

Across 14 career Truck Series starts has produced three poles, three top-five and seven top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 13.1. Earned a career-best third-place finish twice last season, at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway in Sept. and again at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway in Nov., where he clinched KBM’s record-extending seventh owner’s championship.
Captured the 2019 ARCA Menards Series championship after recording four wins, two poles, 400 laps led, 13 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes, resulting in an average finish of 4.8 across 19 starts. Has seven career ARCA Racing Series victories across 46 starts to go along with four poles, 1094 laps led, 23 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes.
Eckes put his name on the motorsports map when he won the prestigious Snowball Derby Super Late Model race in 2016 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. The then 15-year-old battled side-by-side with John Hunter Nemechek for the final two laps before narrowly edging him to the finish line.

Christian Eckes’ No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra:

KBM-58: The Safelite AutoGlass team will unload KBM-58 for Tuesday’s N.C. Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte. The Tundra has five previous starts, including a win with owner-driver Kyle Busch last May at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Eckes led 10 laps and finished second in both stages of this year’s Las Vegas event before being forced into the wall early in the third stage and limping home to a 23^rd-place finish.

KBM-58 Performance Profile:

Starts	Wins	Average Start	Average Finish	Laps Led
5	1	6.6	6.6	152

KBM Notes of Interest:

Across 27 starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, KBM drivers have earned six wins, three poles, six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 8.6 and an average finish of 8.8.
Owner-driver Kyle Busch has collected all six of his organization’s wins (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018).
KBM holds the NGROTS records for most career wins (76) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers; Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
The No. 18, the number which was on the first Tundra that went to victory lane for KBM in 2010, has 21 career victories.

No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra 2020 Box Score:

Date	Site	Driver	Start	Finish	Laps	Laps Led	Status	Driver Pts. /Pos.
14-Feb	Daytona	Eckes	3	22	106/107	0	Running	23/16th
21-Feb	Las Vegas	Eckes	4	23	130/134	10	Running	55/8th
25-May	Charlotte	Eckes
6-June	Atlanta	Eckes
13-June	Homestead	Eckes

Christian Eckes – No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra Gander Trucks Atlanta Preview

by MikeMarch 11, 2020March 11, 2020

Nineteen-year-old Christian Eckes will make his first career start in any series at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., driving the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) in Saturday’s Vet Tix Camping World 200.

(more…)

Chandler Smith to Compete in Eight Races in the No. 51 JBL Tundra

by WebmasterMarch 4, 2020

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 3, 2020) – Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced today that Chandler Smith will return to the organization for an eight-race NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series schedule in 2020 with primary sponsorship from JBL, the authority in engineering superior sound. Smith will kickoff his 2020 schedule participating in the first two races of the Triple Truck Challenge, April 18 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway and May 1 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

(more…)

NASCAR NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series News & Notes – Atlanta Motor Speedway

by MikeFebruary 27, 2020

Next Race: Georgia 200
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, March 14
The Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 1 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200.02 miles (130 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 130)
2019 Winner: Kyle Busch (more…)

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series News and Notes – 2020 NextEra Energy 250

by MikeFebruary 14, 2020

Next Race: NextEra Energy 250

The Place: Daytona International Speedway

The Date: Friday, February 14

The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: FS1, 7 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 250 miles (100 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 40), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 100)

2019 Winner: Austin Hill (more…)