Chasing Playoff Points … The countdown is on to the start of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoffs as only five races remain in the regular season, including Saturday’s show down under the Gateway Arch at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR). Christian Eckes has two race victories and four stage wins, which have him well positioned for the playoffs, but he’ll look to add to his playoff point total at WWTR. The driver of the No. 19 BlueDEF / NAPA Nightvision Chevrolet Silverado RST already has five starts under his belt at WWTR at age 22 and his previous performances make him a strong threat for his third win of the year.
Oh, So Close … Eckes was in contention to win multiple races last season, including at WWTR. Eckes finished second on an overtime restart after leading nine of the last 12 laps. The NCTS’ return to St. Louis has been circled on his calendar since last season and looks for redemption in his sixth appearance at WWTR. Eckes is no stranger to the front of the field as he’s led laps in three of his five starts at “Gateway”, including a race-high 57 laps in 2019. He’s started eighth or better in each of the five races and has tallied one top-five finish.
Season to Date … Through 11 races, Eckes has notched two victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway and has banked 14 playoff points. He’s also collected three top-five and five top-10 finishes which have placed him sixth in the NCTS drivers’ championship standings with an average finish of 14.7.
Chassis Selection … For the first time this season, Eckes will drive chassis No. 321. The Chevrolet has been outfitted with a new Silverado RST body for it’s season debut and most recently competed at Homestead-Miami Speedway last season with Derek Kraus at the controls.
Tune In … FOX Sports 1 has all the NCTS on-track activity covered from the St. Louis metro area, beginning with practice and qualifying at 6:00 p.m. ET on Friday evening. NASCAR Raceday kicks off race coverage on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. followed by the green flag at 1:30 p.m. ET. Stay connected with the No. 19 BlueDEF Platinum / NAPA Nightvision team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmrnascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Christian Eckes Quote:
On the unique layout at WWTR:
“Gateway is another place I’ve had circled ever since last year. I felt like there were a few opportunities that passed by last year, so I’ve been looking forward to going back this year with our BlueDEF / NAPA Nightvision Chevrolet. When we’ve had a chance to close races out this year, we’ve done that, so I’m confident we can do it again this weekend if we put ourselves in position. Gateway is a tough place to adjust to because the two ends of the racetrack are so different. I know (crew chief) Charles (Denike) and our whole team are prepared well for this weekend, and we’ll see if we can’t get ourselves some more playoff points and compete for a win.”
McAnally Hilgemann Racing PR
