NASCAR
DARLINGTON, S.C. – After struggling in the five races since his Atlanta win, Christian Eckes is back in victory lane at Darlington. The No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet was the class of the field all race long, leading 82 of 158 laps and holding off the field in double-overtime. The Truck Series regular season is now past its halfway point, with Eckes now joining Zane Smith as multi-time winners.
Eckes’ team was throwing back to NASCAR Hall of Famer Hershel McGriff’s paint scheme raced in the inaugural Southern 500 in 1950. Certainly one of the best truck throwbacks took the victory, as the tan truck with rose trim looked amazing.
The only achievement not taken by Eckes at Darlington was the Stage 2 win. That ended up going to William Byron. The No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet made a clutch pass over Corey Heim.
The 19 would restart Stage 3 up front and had his tailgate in the wind. Despite a rash of late cautions setting up double-overtime, Eckes was not to be denied a Darlington triumph.
“I don’t really feel that excited, because the truck was so good it drove itself,” Eckes said. “It’s been a really, really rough couple of weeks. To come back and win shows the resilience of this team, and how we had to win it just shows the fight in this team. I was really determined. It’s really, really fun to be here, man, and when you have a truck like this, you’ve just got to finish it out.”
Eckes won under caution, as a yellow flew at the white flag with Grant Enfinger and Nick Sanchez making contact.
Behind Eckes in the top-10 were: Stewart Friesen, Tanner Gray, William Byron, Carson Hocevar, Rajah Caruth, Bubba Wallace, Corey Heim, Dean Thompson, and Kaden Honeycutt. Hear from some of these drivers below.
From one gritty and aged track to another, next week is one of the most anticipated 2023 dates for the Truckers. The Craftsman Truck Series will be back in action Saturday from North Wilkesboro Speedway. The Tyson 250 will go green Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The Trucks will be the only points race at the historic track, who can claim this major victory?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Logan Riely/Getty Images for NASCAR
