DARLINGTON, S.C.: The chatter is over, the announcement is official.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series standout Christian Eckes will graduate to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and join Kaulig Racing as the driver of the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro to complete the organization’s three-car lineup for next season.
Eckes, the regular series Truck Series champion for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing has signed a multiyear contract to join the Welcome, N.C.-based team alongside his fellow Truck Series teammate Daniel Dye (No. 10 Chevrolet) and current Kaulig Racing driver Josh Williams (No. 11 Chevrolet).
“I’m extremely thankful and grateful for Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice and everyone involved for the opportunity to be a part of Kaulig Racing,” said Christian Eckes. “What they have been able to do as a company in just a few short years has been incredible. I’m looking forward to adding to that success in 2025 and beyond.”
Eckes burst onto the scene in the ARCA Menards Series in 2016 but created a name for himself between the 2018 and 2019 ARCA seasons.
Driving for Venturini Motorsports, he won seven races and scored the 2019 ARCA championship despite missing the third race of the season at Salem (Ind.) Speedway.
In 2020, Eckes joined the Truck Series in a full-time effort for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Since then, he competed one and a half seasons for ThorSport Racing before landing at McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in 2023, replacing Derek Kaus and winning in his just his third start with the team at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway.
Finishing fifth in last year’s Truck Series standings, Eckes has bounced back with a vengeance this season earning 16 top-10 finishes through 17 races with four wins, including leading every lap at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.
With a likely Championship 4 run on deck in Trucks, Eckes believed the time was now for him to leap to the next chapter of his racing career.
“Yeah, I think to answer why Kaulig is just the amount of success they’ve had over the last, you know, handful of years,” Eckes said. “You know, it’s a relatively new team, and to succeed as success that they had and kind of how they go about things, just really caught my attention.
“So, to answer that that’s, that’s kind of it and it just felt like the right time, you know, my Truck series career has definitely been nothing short of rocky. I’ve been kind of thrown around a little bit, but just kind of felt like this was the right opportunity, the right time to go.
“I finally feel like I’m in a place where I can go.”
To no surprise, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes found his way back to the top of the points standings following the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ playoff opener at The Milwaukee (Wisc.) Mile.
The 23-year-old Middletown, New York, native netted a 52-point day by driving his No. 19 Silverado RST to his sixth-straight podium finish and 16th top-10 result in 17 races. The result allowed Eckes to build a 16-point lead in the championship points standings, as well as a 60-point advantage over the playoff cutline.
With the first of three races in the Round of 10 complete, five of Team Chevy’s six playoff contenders continue to sit above the cutline, with Eckes leading Nick Sanchez in fourth (+34),
Tyler Ankrum in sixth (+13), Daniel Dye in seventh (+9) and Grant Enfinger in eight (+2).
The series will remain idle for three weeks, with playoff competition returning under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway with the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m. ET.
Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice confirmed on Saturday morning at Darlington Raceway that the organization will stick to a three-car Xfinity team next season.
This season, the team expanded to four with rookie Shane van Gisbergen, but last weekend at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Trackhouse Racing announced that van Gisbergen will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro in the Cup Series for 2025.
Partnership details for Eckes and the No. 16 Chevrolet will be announced at a later date.
Follow Chris Knight on X (Twitter) @Knighter01 or email at [email protected].
