Christian Eckes leads from the green to the finish to victory in the Nashville Truck Series

June 29, 2024

Christian Eckes not only defended his crown as Concrete King of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he also made history.

Eckes became just the second driver in Truck Series history to lead from start to finish on his way to winning the Rackley Roofing 200 on Friday (June 28) at Nashville Superspeedway. Timothy Peters was the first to accomplish the feat when he led all 204 laps en route to victory at Bristol in 2012.

Eckes started third and led all 150 laps in his No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado, earning the maximum 60 points and extending his lead in the standings. The win is Eckes’ third of the season and his eighth of his career.

McAnally-Hilgemann Racing teammate Daniel Dye matched his career-best finish with second place. Corey Heim finished third after a late battle with Rajah Caruth, who finished fourth. Tyler Ankrum, another M-HR driver, rounded out the top five.

Grant Enfinger, Ben Rhodes, Matt Mills, Ty Majeski and Jake Garcia made up the rest of the top 10.

After the first 15 laps were mostly run under caution, Eckes won the first stage. Layne Riggs, Heim, Enfinger and Dye took the first five places of the stage.

On the first lap, Dean Thompson spun in turn three, hitting Akinori Ogata, Bret Holmes, Timmy Hill and Tanner Gray. Holmes spun again on lap 10, bringing out another caution, before retiring.

In the second stage, two restarts were necessary before a long green phase was reached. Taylor Gray spun off Ben Rhodes’ bumper on the first restart and ended up in 33rd place.

The ensuing restart saw a collision at the front of the field, which was pushed back to Dawson Cram. Clint Bowyer, driving the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevy in his first NASCAR race since 2020, suffered heavy damage and ultimately had to settle for 17th place.

Eckes won the second stage, Heim, Caruth, Dye and Enfinger completed the five best point scorers.

The second stage ended under caution after an exchange of blows between Riggs and Stefan Parsons ended when Riggs sent Parsons spinning in turn three. Riggs was subsequently given a two-lap penalty for reckless driving. Riggs finished the race in 25th, just ahead of Parsons in 26th.

Eckes continued his dominance of the evening in the third stage. Jack Wood spun on lap 115, triggering the seventh and final caution period of the race. This regrouped the field for a final restart with 32 laps remaining, but Eckes pulled away and drove effortlessly to the checkered flag.

The Craftsman Truck Series returns Friday, July 12 with the CRC Brakleen 175 at Pocono Raceway. Coverage on Fox Sports 1 begins at 5:30 p.m. ET.

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