23-year-old Christian Eckes was crowned as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular-season champion at Richmond last week. 2024 has proven to be a highly fruitful year for him with three wins and just one finish outside the top-10 so far for the 23-year-old. His dominance has been such that it has found a place among the stellar seasons of truck icons like Mike Skinner, Kyle Busch, and Ron Hornaday Jr.
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Skinner posted the most dominant season ever in the Truck Series back in 1995 when he led 35.01% of laps. He nearly matched his record in 1996 again by leading 33.80% of laps. As things stand, Eckes has led 30.11% of the laps raced so far and stands poised to have the sixth most dominant season in the series. Two seasons of Hornaday (1995 and 2008) and one of Jack Sprague (2001) stand between him and Skinner’s second-best year.
The most dominant season in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history (by % of total laps led)
Currently, Christian Eckes is on track to put together the 6th most dominant season in the HISTORY of the Truck Series in 2024. pic.twitter.com/FYxgftdKMj
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) August 19, 2024
Eckes currently drives the #19 Chevrolet Silverado fielded by McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. He did so in 2023 as well when he finished fifth in points after winning four races throughout the season, with a playoff bid lasting until the Round of 8. Before his current affiliation, he was with ThorSport Racing for two seasons, in the latter of which (2022) he finished eighth in points despite not winning a single race.
Ten drivers will now compete in the Truck Series postseason for the title. The qualified list is a mix of playoff regulars and newbies. Four drivers will be put forward by McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, inclusive of the drivers from its alliance with CR7 Motorsports. ThorSport Racing, Tricon Garage, and Spire Motorsports will each put forward two drivers to round off the field.
Battle for the championship brews hot between Eckes and Corey Heim
Corey Heim is one of the key hurdles that will stand in the way of Eckes clinching the coveted NASCAR nationwide series title. The 22-year-old driver has won five races this season but fell short on stage points and consistency when it came to the battle for the regular season championship. In 2023, Eckes was very close to a win at Bristol but lapped traffic held him up, and allowed Heim to take the flag.
Eckes could’ve secured a place in the Championship 4 had he won that race. So, redemption will be on his mind this time around. It’s not under covers that Eckes and Heim are the two top favorites for the title. It is poised to be a hard-fought battle to the very end.
This battle is expected to continue at Milwaukee Mile Speedway on Sunday, August 25 with the 2024 LIUNA! 175 going live from the track at 4 pm ET.
