Results

Weather Guard Truck Race

Saturday, March 16th, 2024

Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN

  • 19 Chevrolet
  • 9 Ford
  • 8 Toyota

  • Bristol Motor Speedway
  • Weather Guard Truck Race
  • Pole Winner: Christian Eckes
  • Age: 23
  • Team : No. 19 - NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet
  • Owner: Bill McAnally
  • Crew Chief: Charles Denike
  • Christian Eckes won the Pole Award for the Weather Guard Truck Race with a lap of 15.122 seconds, 126.888 mph.
  • This is his seventh pole in 95 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races.
  • This is his first pole and third top-10 start in 2024.
  • This is his second pole in four races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Nick Sanchez (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2024 and his first in two races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Taylor Gray (third) posted his second top-10 start at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his first in four races this season.
  • Conner Jones (14th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.

  • Saturday, March 16th, 2024
  • NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer
Christian Eckes finds redemption in NASCAR Truck Series win at Bristol

Sometimes a victory tastes sweetest when it comes as a chaser for a bitter defeat.

That was certainly the case for pole winner Christian Eckes, who held off Kyle Busch in the closing laps to win Saturday night’s Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

In last year’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoff race at Bristol, Eckes gave up the lead to Corey Heim with six laps left and finished second by 0.218 seconds.

The loss cost Eckes, who led 150 laps in that event, a berth in the Championship 4 at Phoenix, where his victory in the season finale gave him a consolation prize but not a title.

On Saturday night, Eckes passed Busch for the lead on Lap 159 and held it for the final 92 circuits as Busch made a frenetic charge that fell just short. In traffic, Eckes crossed the finish line 0.141 seconds ahead of the career Truck Series victory leader.

“Oh, man, it’s so sweet,” said Eckes, who won for the first time this season, the first time at Bristol and the sixth time in his career. “There’s just so much behind this win from last year, missing out on the Championship 4 and losing the race with (six) to go.

“To come back and redeem ourselves was our number one goal, and not only that, but the first three races (of this season), how terribly they’ve gone. We had a lot of issues, and to come back and run really good just show s the resilience of the team.”

By putting his No. 19 McAnally Hilgemann Racing Silverado in Victory Lane, Eckes extended Chevrolet’s 2024 Truck Series winning streak to four races.

Under the sixth and final caution, which slowed Busch’s pursuit for eight laps, Busch radioed to his team, “We’re a second-place truck, maybe third.”

But that didn’t prevent Busch from charging after Eckes after a restart on Lap 227 of 250. As the run progressed, Busch cut into Eckes’ lead, which had grown to more than one second, and closed to his back bumper by the time Eckes crossed the finish line.

“The crazy part about it is, we fought looseall through practice, all through qualifying, all through the beginning part of the race on older date codes,” Busch said. “Then we put on the newer date codes of tires and were instantly tight. So, just not being able to prepare and practice on what you expect to race on hurtus.

“We tightened up all day, and obviously I don’tthink we were as tight as the 19 (Eckes) at the end but, you know, just track position. I let him go early in that run to just goburn his stuff off and track position at the end, just aero effects… Didn’thave enough rubber on the road to outduel him.”

Zane Smith finished third in the first race of a double-duty weekend. Three-time series champion Matt Crafton was fourth after joining Eckes and Busch in a three-way battle for the lead before the final caution for a shunt involving Stewart Friesen and Nick Sanchez on Lap 219.

Series leader Tyler Ankrum was fifth, extending his margin over second-place Corey Heim to 17 points. Heim finished sixth, followed by Taylor Gray, Rajah Caruth, Grant Enfinger and Sunoco rookie Layne Riggs.

  • Drivers Entered: 36
  • Laps Scheduled: 200
  • Laps Actual: 250 - NASCAR OVERTIME!
  • Margin of Victory: 0.141 Seconds
  • Time of Race: 1 Hours 39 Minutes 55 Seconds
  • Average Speed: 80.017
  • Cautions: 6 for 50 laps
  • Lead Changes: 4
  • Green Flag Passes: 688 (3.4 passes per green flag lap)

  • Bristol Motor Speedway
  • Weather Guard Truck Race
  • Race Winner: Christian Eckes
  • Age: 23
  • Team : No. 19 - NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet
  • Owner: Bill McAnally
  • Crew Chief: Charles Denike
  • Christian Eckes won the Weather Guard Truck Race, his sixth victory in 95 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races.
  • This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in 2024.
  • This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in four races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Kyle Busch (second) posted his ninth top-10 finish in 12 races at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his second top-10 finish in 2024.
  • Zane Smith (third) posted his third top-10 finish in five races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Layne Riggs (10th) was the highest finishing rookie.
  • Tyler Ankrum leads the point standings by 17 points over Corey Heim.
Christian Eckes celebrates in victory lane
Bristol, Tennessee - March 16, 2024 : Christian Eckes, driver of the #19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Jonathan BachmanGetty Images
Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway results
FIN ST # DRIVER MAKE TOT PTS FIN PTS STG PTS PO PTS LAPS LED X LED S1 S2 STATUS
2 4 7 Kyle Busch Chevrolet 0 0 0 0 250 105 2 1 1 Running
9 13 9 Grant Enfinger Chevrolet 29 28 1 0 250 0 0 10 0 Running
4 20 88 Matt Crafton Ford 36 33 3 0 250 0 0 0 8 Running
24 27 56 Timmy Hill Toyota 13 13 0 0 247 0 0 0 0 Running
20 26 25 Ty Dillon Chevrolet 17 17 0 0 249 0 0 0 0 Running
11 12 41 Bayley Currey Chevrolet 26 26 0 0 250 0 0 0 0 Running
30 30 76 Spencer Boyd Chevrolet 7 7 0 0 242 0 0 0 0 Running
25 18 42 Matt Mills Chevrolet 12 12 0 0 247 0 0 0 0 Running
28 31 2 Mason Massey Chevrolet 9 9 0 0 245 0 0 0 0 Running
18 25 75 Stefan Parsons Chevrolet 19 19 0 0 249 0 0 0 0 Running
3 7 91 Zane Smith Chevrolet 0 0 0 0 250 1 1 5 5 Running
22 23 52 Stewart Friesen Toyota 19 15 4 0 248 0 0 0 7 Running
16 16 99 Ben Rhodes Ford 26 21 5 0 250 0 0 8 9 Running
35 35 14 Trey Hutchens Chevrolet 2 2 0 0 113 0 0 0 0 Suspension
5 9 18 Tyler Ankrum Chevrolet 41 32 9 0 250 0 0 7 6 Running
1 1 19 Christian Eckes Chevrolet 62 40 17 5 250 144 2 2 3 Running
33 11 77 Chase Purdy Chevrolet 4 4 0 0 228 0 0 0 0 Running
34 5 98 Ty Majeski Ford 17 3 14 0 170 0 0 4 4 Engine
15 21 15 Tanner Gray Toyota 22 22 0 0 250 0 0 0 0 Running
6 15 11 Corey Heim Toyota 31 31 0 0 250 0 0 0 0 Running
27 29 33 Lawless Alan Ford 10 10 0 0 246 0 0 0 0 Running
23 22 5 Dean Thompson Toyota 14 14 0 0 247 0 0 0 0 Running
31 24 32 Bret Holmes Chevrolet 6 6 0 0 242 0 0 0 0 Running
32 34 22 Keith McGee Ford 5 5 0 0 238 0 0 0 0 Running
7 3 17 Taylor Gray Toyota 35 30 5 0 250 0 0 6 0 Running
26 33 46 Thad Moffitt Chevrolet 11 11 0 0 246 0 0 0 0 Running
17 2 2 Nicholas Sanchez Chevrolet 37 20 17 0 250 0 0 3 2 Running
8 6 71 Rajah Caruth Chevrolet 29 29 0 0 250 0 0 0 0 Running
14 17 13 Jake Garcia Ford 23 23 0 0 250 0 0 0 0 Running
36 32 90 Justin Carroll Toyota 1 1 0 0 57 0 0 0 0 Brakes
12 8 45 Kaden Honeycutt Chevrolet 27 25 2 0 250 0 0 9 0 Running
29 36 21 Mason Maggio Ford 8 8 0 0 244 0 0 0 0 Running
10 28 38 Layne Riggs Ford 28 27 1 0 250 0 0 0 10 Running
13 10 43 Daniel Dye Chevrolet 24 24 0 0 250 0 0 0 0 Running
21 19 1 William Sawalich Toyota 16 16 0 0 248 0 0 0 0 Running
19 14 66 Conner Jones Ford 18 18 0 0 249 0 0 0 0 Running

Race Infractions

Penalties imposed prior to or during the race.

Driver Infraction Penalty Lap Lap Assessed Flag
Mason Maggio Pre-Race to the Rear Unapproved Adjustments Tail End 0 0 White
Keith McGee Commitment Line Violation Tail End 44 52 Yellow
Keith McGee Pitting before pit road is open Tail End 44 52 Yellow
Justin Carroll Pitting before pit road is open Tail End 44 76 Yellow
Justin Carroll Crewmember(s) over the wall too soon Tail End 44 76 Yellow
William Sawalich Speeding on pit road Tail End 48 52 Yellow
Matt Mills Speeding on pit road Tail End 49 52 Yellow
Spencer Boyd Speeding on pit road Tail End 49 52 Yellow
Bret Holmes Driving through more than 3 pit boxes On Exit Tail End 49 52 Yellow
Rajah Caruth Unspecified Improper Driver Assist. Tail End 71 76 Yellow
William Sawalich Speeding on pit road Tail End 136 142 Yellow
Rajah Caruth Car/Truck pitting out of the assigned pit box Tail End 136 142 Yellow
Keith McGee Crewmember(s) over the wall too soon Tail End 137 142 Yellow
Spencer Boyd Pitting before pit road is open Tail End 141 142 Yellow
Ben Rhodes Pitting before pit road is open Tail End 145 152 Yellow
Nicholas Sanchez Pitting before pit road is open Tail End 221 226 Yellow
William Sawalich Pitting before pit road is open Tail End 222 226 Yellow
Mason Maggio Pitting before pit road is open Tail End 224 226 Yellow
Keith McGee Speeding on pit road Tail End 224 226 Yellow