Eckes and Venturini remained together for the following two seasons, partaking in ten races of the ARCA Racing Series during 2017 and 13 the year after.[12][13] He triumphed for the first time at Salem Speedway in April 2018, keeping teammate Chandler Smith at bay over the closing portion of the event to secure the victory.[14] He followed up with wins at Illinois State Fairgrounds and Indianapolis Raceway Park during the year, making him the driver with the second-most wins that season despite missing seven races.
In the week following the win at Salem, Eckes landed a deal with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team Kyle Busch Motorsports to drive the team's No. 46 entry in four races in the 2018 season, starting at Iowa Speedway in June.[15] He led his first laps in the series at Iowa and took his first stage win during stage 2 at the following race in Gateway, though he later crashed out of the contest. In total, Eckes's first four starts in the Truck Series included 38 laps led and three finishes inside the top ten.[16]
In 2019, Eckes embarked on a full-time campaign in the newly renamed ARCA Menards Series in the No. 15 Venturini car.[17] Despite missing the Salem race in April due to an esophageal tear in his trachea, he went on to win the championship with four wins, 13 top fives, and 17 top tens in 19 starts.[18] Eckes was the first ARCA champion to not run every race since Tim Steele in 1997.[19] During the same year, Eckes also ran eight races in the Truck Series with KBM's No. 51 truck.[20] Thanks to his three top five finishes, including a decisive third place at the Homestead season finale, Eckes helped the No. 51 crew towards the owners' championship, which was the seventh for the KBM team overall.[21]
First full-time Truck year, maiden victory, second full season
The following year, Eckes joined the team's No. 18 truck for the entirety of the 2020 season.[22] After five results inside the top five, including runner-up finishes at Texas, Kansas, and Michigan, Eckes made the NASCAR playoffs. However, he was eliminated after the first round, retiring in a last-lap pileup at the Talladega cut-off race.[23] Eckes notably had a verbal and physical altercation with Ben Rhodes, who had spun him out on purpose at the fall Texas race.[24] He finished with a winless season and an eighth-place finish in the standings.
In 2021, Eckes moved to ThorSport Racing after being replaced at KBM by Chandler Smith.[25] He entered 10 races of the 22-race season, sharing the schedule with Grant Enfinger.[26] Eckes managed to finish inside the top five on five occasions and would take his maiden win in the Truck Series at Las Vegas, besting Todd Gilliland during a late restart and being saved from an attack by Ben Rhodes by a caution that ended the race.[27]
Eckes progressed to a full-time schedule in 2022, driving the No. 98 after Enfinger moved back to GMS Racing.[28] Though he did not win any races that year, Eckes finished eighth in the standings, scoring 15 top tens.[29]
On December 6, 2022, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing announced that Eckes would pilot the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado in 2023, replacing Derek Kraus. Eckes started the season with a third-place finish at Daytona, before going on to win at Atlanta and Darlington — where he triumphed dominantly following five races with either a 15th place or a DNF — during the regular season.[30][31] The first round of the playoffs turned out to be commanding, as Eckes finished second and third at IRP and Milwaukee respectively before making an outside pass on Corey Heim and Zane Smith after a late restart to win at Kansas.[32] However, Heim would get his revenge at Bristol by passing a dominant Eckes with five laps to go; Eckes would finish second.[33] Eckes was eliminated at the conclusion of the Round of 8 at Homestead, having finished 20th.[34] He won two weeks later at Phoenix and finished fifth in the final points standings.[35]
Eckes started the 2024 season with a 10th-place finish at Daytona. Throughout the season, he won at Bristol, Martinsville, and Nashville, and claimed the regular season championship.[36][37][38][39] During the playoffs, Eckes won at Martinsville to make the Championship 4, albeit with controversy: though Eckes had dominated the race, winning both stages, a late caution allowed Taylor Gray to pass him during the subsequent restart.[40] Eckes moved Gray up the racetrack aggressively and made a similar move to prevent Ben Rhodes from winning moments later, causing Gray to confront Eckes after the finish.[41] The following week, Eckes finished third at Phoenix to claim third in the standings, being beaten by Heim and eventual champion Ty Majeski who had dominated the event.[42]
Eckes was born on November 10, 2000, to George and Darlene Eckes. He has an older sister, Erica. Eckes attended George Washington University Online High School.[2]
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
1973 R. Hutcherson
1974 R. Hutcherson/D. Dayton
1975 D. Dayton
1976 D. Dayton
1977 C. Myers
1978 M. Smith
1979 M. Smith
1980 B. Dotter
1981 L. Moyer
1982 S. Stovall
_(cropped).jpg)
