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Christian Eckes leads through chaotic Darlington conclusion
Christian Eckes is the second driver to notch multiple NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins in 2023, though it took him having to sprint from the field and keep his distance multiple times as Friday’s race at Darlington Raceway was plagued by multiple wrecks in overtime.
Eckes set the tone early by winning Stage #1, and he and Corey Heim would dominate as they combined to lead all but ten laps. The former took the top spot on the ensuing restart on lap 132, from which he faced an onslaught of pressure from the likes of Stage #2 winner William Byron and Rajah Caruth.
As Byron tried to close in, Timmy Hill spun with two laps remaining to trigger overtime. Eckes’ McAnally-Hilgemann Racing team-mate Jake Garcia collided with Caruth on the first overtime attempt, setting up a second try.
Yet another accident occurred on take two when Grant Enfinger hit the wall in turn four, though the caution came out after Eckes had crossed the start/finish line to begin the final lap. As such, the race ended under yellow and Eckes secured his second win of 2023.
Interestingly, the victory also completes an unusual cycle of finishes for Eckes. In the five races between his win at Atlanta and the Darlington triumph, he alternated between crashing out and finishing thirtieth, or placing fifteenth.
“I don’t really feel that excited because the truck was so good it drove itself,” said Eckes. “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, and when you have a truck like this, you’ve just got to finish it out.”
In the spirit of Throwback Weekend, Eckes raced a truck honouring 2023 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Hershel McGriff. McGriff, who raced the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series’ Southern 500 at Darlington in 1950 and continued to compete in NASCAR well into his nineties, is a close friend of MHR co-owner Bill McAnally.
Race results
| Finish | Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Status |
| 1 | 4 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | Running |
| 2 | 6 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 158 | Running |
| 3 | 11 | 15 | Tanner Gray | TRICON Garage | Toyota | 158 | Running |
| 4 | 8 | 51 | William Byron* | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | Running |
| 5 | 18 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | Running |
| 6 | 13 | 24 | Rajah Caruth | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | Running |
| 7 | 15 | 1 | Bubba Wallace* | TRICON Garage | Toyota | 158 | Running |
| 8 | 1 | 11 | Corey Heim | TRICON Garage | Toyota | 158 | Running |
| 9 | 25 | 5 | Dean Thompson | TRICON Garage | Toyota | 158 | Running |
| 10 | 24 | 20 | Kaden Honeycutt | Young’s Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | Running |
| 11 | 3 | 2 | Nick Sanchez | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | Running |
| 12 | 19 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 158 | Running |
| 13 | 16 | 41 | Ross Chastain* | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | Running |
| 14 | 2 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | Running |
| 15 | 17 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 158 | Running |
| 16 | 29 | 7 | Corey LaJoie* | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | Running |
| 17 | 36 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | Running |
| 18 | 14 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 158 | Running |
| 19 | 20 | 43 | Daniel Dye | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | Running |
| 20 | 26 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 158 | Running |
| 21 | 12 | 17 | Taylor Gray | TRICON Garage | Toyota | 158 | Running |
| 22 | 22 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 158 | Running |
| 23 | 34 | 32 | Bret Holmes | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | Running |
| 24 | 23 | 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 157 | Running |
| 25 | 7 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 157 | Running |
| 26 | 5 | 35 | Jake Garcia | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 157 | Running |
| 27 | 32 | 30 | Ryan Vargas | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | 156 | Running |
| 28 | 27 | 04 | Johnny Sauter | Roper Racing | Ford | 156 | Running |
| 29 | 35 | 2 | Kris Wright | Young’s Motorsports | Chevrolet | 155 | Running |
| 30 | 30 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 126 | Accident |
| 31 | 9 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 123 | Running |
| 32 | 10 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 | Accident |
| 33 | 33 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young’s Motorsports | Chevrolet | 78 | Fuel Pump |
| 34 | 21 | 75 | Parker Kligerman* | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48 | Oil Leak |
| 35 | 31 | 47 | Dawson Cram* | G2G Racing | Toyota | 36 | Mechanical |
| 36 | 28 | 46 | Brennan Poole* | G2G Racing | Toyota | 20 | Engine |
| DNQ | 33 | Josh Reaume | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford |
* – Ineligible for points
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