Christian Eckes Bio
Christian Donald Eckes (born November 10, 2000) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 91 Chevrolet Silverado RST for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. Eckes is the 2019 ARCA Menards Series champion, a 2016 Snowball Derby winner, and a former development driver for JR Motorsports and Toyota.
Standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 165 pounds, Eckes has built his career through the national stock car ladder, climbing from Legends Cars to late models and eventually into NASCAR’s top touring divisions. His aggressive driving style and late-race composure have helped him secure a regular-season Truck Series title and consistent playoff contention.
Early Life and Background
Christian Donald Eckes was born on November 10, 2000, in Middletown, New York, to George and Darlene Eckes. He grew up in nearby Greenville, New York, and has an older sister named Erica. His family supported his early interest in motorsports, and the Northeast short tracks became his first racing classroom.
Eckes attended George Washington University Online High School, a flexible program that allowed him to balance his education with a busy racing schedule. By the age of thirteen, he was already competing in Legends Cars, a common entry point for young American oval racers. He later graduated to late model stock cars and super late models, the traditional stepping stones toward NASCAR’s national series.
Path to NASCAR
In 2015, Eckes began racing late models for JR Motorsports while also running super late models for LFR Chassis as part of their driver development program. That dual path gave him exposure to both asphalt late model competition and the equipment that feeds directly into the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
He made his ARCA Racing Series debut at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in April 2016 with Venturini Motorsports, finishing eighth. The same year, he debuted in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and capped his season with three consecutive wins, including a victory over John Hunter Nemechek in the prestigious Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway. That performance at age sixteen announced him as one of the most promising young talents in American stock car racing.
Christian Eckes Career
Early Career (2016-2019)
Eckes remained with Venturini Motorsports through 2017 and 2018, building a strong résumé in the ARCA Racing Series. In April 2018, he scored his first ARCA victory at Salem Speedway, holding off teammate Chandler Smith in the closing laps. He added wins at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and Indianapolis Raceway Park that season, finishing with the second-most wins of any ARCA driver despite missing seven races.
In 2019, Eckes launched a full-time ARCA Menards Series campaign in the No. 15 for Venturini. Despite missing the Salem race due to an esophageal tear, he captured the series championship with four wins, thirteen top-fives, and seventeen top-tens in nineteen starts. He became the first ARCA champion since Tim Steele in 1997 to skip a race and still claim the title.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2018-2022)
Eckes made his Truck Series debut in 2018 with Kyle Busch Motorsports, running four races in the No. 46. He led his first series laps at Iowa Speedway and earned his first stage win at Gateway, finishing with three top-ten results in his four starts. In 2019, he added eight more Truck Series races with the KBM No. 51, helping that team toward an owners’ championship.
In 2020, Eckes ran the full Truck Series schedule in the KBM No. 18, advancing to the playoffs before being eliminated in the first round at Talladega. After being replaced at KBM by Chandler Smith, he moved to ThorSport Racing in 2021, sharing the No. 98 with Grant Enfinger. That fall, he captured his first Truck Series victory at Las Vegas, beating Todd Gilliland on a late restart and surviving a last-lap challenge from Ben Rhodes under caution.
He ran a full 2022 schedule with ThorSport, finishing eighth in the standings with fifteen top-ten results but no wins. Across his time with both KBM and ThorSport, Eckes earned a reputation for speed and combative racing, including a notable on-track altercation with Ben Rhodes at Texas in 2020.
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Era (2023-Present)
On December 6, 2022, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing announced that Eckes would drive the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado in 2023, replacing Derek Kraus. He opened the year with a third-place run at Daytona and then won at Atlanta and Darlington. He advanced through the playoffs with a win at Kansas, finished second at Bristol after being passed late by Corey Heim, and closed the year with a victory at Phoenix to land fifth in the final standings.
The 2024 season became the defining year of his Truck Series career. Eckes won at Bristol, Martinsville, and Nashville, then captured the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Regular Season Championship. In the playoffs, he won again at Martinsville in a controversial finish, using aggressive block-and-pass moves on Taylor Gray and Ben Rhodes to clinch a Championship 4 berth. He finished third in the final Phoenix race and third in the standings behind Corey Heim and champion Ty Majeski.
In 2025, Eckes split time between the Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing. On November 20, 2025, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing announced that Eckes would return to the Truck Series full-time in 2026, this time behind the wheel of the No. 91 Chevrolet Silverado.
Driving Style and Strengths
Eckes is known for his short-run speed and his confidence on intermediate and mile-and-a-half tracks. He excels in late-race restarts, where his willingness to use the bumper and the apron has produced both victories and hard feelings with rivals. His partnership with the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing crew has emphasized consistent pit work and aggressive fuel-strategy calls, allowing him to capitalize on track position.
Notable Races and Milestones
His signature Truck Series moments include his first series win at Las Vegas in 2021, his back-to-back 2023 wins at Atlanta, Darlington, Kansas, and Phoenix, and his dominant Martinsville victory in 2024. He also owns signature short-track and super late model trophies, including the 2016 Snowball Derby and the 2016 Myrtle Beach 400.
Christian Eckes Career Wins
Across the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and major super late model events, Eckes has built a multi-tiered win ledger. He is a verified champion in ARCA and a regular-season champion in the Truck Series, with late model victories that include some of the most prestigious short-track trophies in the country.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Highlights
Eckes has scored nine career wins, 81 top-ten finishes, and nine poles in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. His first victory came at Las Vegas in 2021, and his most recent came at Martinsville in the 2024 playoff round. He won at least once in each season from 2023 through 2024 and captured the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Regular Season Championship.
Other Wins and Performances
In the ARCA Menards Series, Eckes earned seven career wins, 35 top-tens, and four poles, highlighted by his 2019 series championship with Venturini Motorsports. In short-track and super late model competition, he won the 2016 Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway and the 2016 Myrtle Beach 400, and was named the 2016 CARS Late Model Stock Tour Rookie of the Year.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 9 | 81 | 9 |
| ARCA Menards Series | 7 | 35 | 4 |
Christian Eckes Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Eckes was raised in Greenville, New York, by his father George and his mother Darlene, alongside his older sister, Erica. The family encouraged his early racing interest, and his Northeast short-track roots shaped a workmanlike approach to climbing the stock car ladder.
Personal Life
Eckes is in a relationship with Kiley Love. He completed his high school education through George Washington University Online High School, a nontraditional program that let him race full-time while staying on track academically.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was a year of transition for Eckes. On August 31, 2024, Kaulig Racing announced that he would move up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time in 2025, driving the No. 16 Chevrolet. He made his Xfinity Series debut at the 2025 United Rentals 300 at Daytona and finished the year 13th in the final Xfinity standings, recording 15 top-ten finishes without a win. He also made two Truck Series starts for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in the No. 16.
Eckes did not compete full-time in the Truck Series during 2025, ending a streak of consecutive full-time Truck campaigns. McAnally-Hilgemann Racing still leaned on him for selected events while preparing a larger plan for the following year.
On November 20, 2025, the team announced that Eckes would return to the Truck Series full-time in 2026, this time driving the No. 91 Chevrolet Silverado. The move pairs him with a new number and a renewed shot at a Truck Series title, building on his 2024 regular-season championship and playoff experience.
