For Christian Eckes, a third-place result in Friday’s NASCAR Truck Series event at Phoenix Raceway is a fantastic result, but finishing behind Ty Majeski and Corey Heim means the driver of the No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado will have to settle for third in points.
“Just didn’t have enough today,” Eckes said post-race. “[Ty Majeski] and [Corey Heim] were stronger than us, so we just kind of threw a ‘Hail Mary’ there with tires and thought for a second we might be able to catch them, just didn’t have enough.”
It’s not the result that the driver out of the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing stable was looking for, per se, especially when considering the stellar 23-race campaign that the Middletown, New York native put together.
During the 2024 NASCAR Truck Series campaign, Eckes only finished outside the top 10 once – at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February. In doing so, the 23-year-old driver becomes the second driver to end a season with one finish outside the top-10, joining Ron Hornaday (1996).
Eckes has also managed to accumulate 21 consecutive top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which ties him with Dennis Setzer for the second-longest streak in the series history.
With his third-place result at Phoenix on Friday, @ChristianEckes ties Dennis Setzer for the second-longest top-10 streak in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history.
Eckes could exceed the record with top-10s at Daytona, Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Homestead in 2025.#NASCAR https://t.co/iXloidYYkR
— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) November 9, 2024
With a mind-boggling stat line that includes four victories (Bristol, Martinsville (twice), and Nashville), 15 top-five results, and 22 top 10s, with a series-leading 1,050 laps led – the first driver to accomplish quadruple-digit laps led in a season since Kyle Busch in 2010.
When the checkered flag was displayed Friday evening in Avondale, Arizona, another podium finish meant that Eckes and the No. 19 team had managed to muster an average finish of 5.39 on the season – the best in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since 1996.
Christian Eckes finishes the 2024 NASCAR Truck Series campaign with an average finish of 5.39 — the best in the Truck Series since 1996.
He’s the second driver in history to end a season with one finish outside the top-10 (Ron Hornaday, 1996).#NASCAR | ?: @tysongifford91 pic.twitter.com/WPeCAb2xPs
— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) November 9, 2024
In almost any other championship format, whether full-season points, single-round playoffs, or NASCAR Winston Cup Series points, Eckes would have more than likely had a NASCAR championship to add to his already impressive resume.
Alas, those aren’t the rules NASCAR currently plays by, and that third-place finish, which many would consider a fantastic evening, just wasn’t enough for the No. 19 NAPA AUTO CARE Chevrolet Silverado to collect the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship.
…and that’s about the only thing in the world that could deter a driver from flashing a major smile while being read off an untouchable and unheard-of stat line in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
To make the end result even more bittersweet, Friday’s event at Phoenix Raceway marked the conclusion of the two-year stint with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, in which time Eckes has collected eight victories, 25 top-five, and 35 top-10 finishes.
Eckes will join Kaulig Racing in 2025, where he’ll compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
