Christian Eckes standing next to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship trophy in driver introductions. (Photo: Ricky Martinez | The Podium Finish)
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Christian Eckes finished in third place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway while coming home in third of the Championship 4 drivers on Friday evening.
Coming off a dominant win at Martinville Speedway, Eckes was arguably the favorite heading into the race, especially with winning this race a season ago. However, Eckes and his No. 19 team just did not have enough tonight for Ty Majeski, who dominated en route to winning the title.
“Just didn’t have enough today, the (No.) 98 and (No.) 11 were stronger than us today, so we threw a Hail Mary with tires,” Eckes told Fox Sports reporter Todd Bodine after the race. “I thought for a second we’d be able to catch them, we just didn’t have enough.”
Following the race in his post-race press conference, Eckes was asked if he had any regrets about moving Taylor Gray for the win at Martinsville, a move that also allowed Majeski to make the Championship 4.
“Not really. We still lost the championship no matter what, the (No.) 11 beat us,” Eckes said. “So yeah, no regrets.”
Christian Eckes during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. (Photo: Ricky Martinez | The Podium Finish)
On Lap 111, a caution came out, allowing Eckes and fellow championship contender Grant Enfinger to bolt on 20 lap fresher tires than Majeski and Corey Heim. He drove his way inside the top five but needed one last caution for a shot at the win.
“We kind of felt like we had maximized what we were going to get before that pit stop,” said Eckes’ crew chief Charles Denike. “We needed to do something different and try to flip it on tires. We still had another set of tires left lying, and if the caution had come out with 10 to go, I feel confident that all of us would have come and put them on, so it at least allowed us to be on the attack.”
In a season where Eckes led the standings for a majority of the season, it was difficult to reflect on the successes of a season after the heartbreak of losing in the championship race, but he remembered the success of the last two years with his No. 19 team.
“These were the best two years of my life,” said Eckes. “I wish we could’ve finished it off with a championship, just came up a little short.”
Eckes joined McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in 2023, embarking on two successful seasons with the No. 19 team. His 2024 season was also one for the history books, putting up numbers not seen in many years.
Christian Eckes during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. (Photo: Ricky Martinez | The Podium Finish)
In 23 starts, Eckes won four races, led over 1,000 laps, finished inside the top 10 in all but one race and had a 5.4 average finish, the best in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since 1996.
“All you can ask for is to have a shot here, and that’s what we did,” Denike said. “We just came up a little bit short against those two, but still really proud to go home third in points and with four wins — four wins on both years, so a total of eight.
“(We had an) incredible streak of top 10s and a bunch of top fives this year, led laps and almost all the races. So I mean, it’s so much to be proud of, and the whole group has worked extremely hard to be where they’re at right now.”
The pairing will split up next season as Eckes joins Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series while Denike moves up to the NASCAR Cup Series as crew chief for Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 team. When both reflect on their time in the Truck Series, they can recall the blueprints of their successes with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing.
