Christian Eckes, driver of the No. 19 NASCAR Chevy Silverado RST in the Truck Series, survived a wild race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 18th, 2023 to take home the trophy.
Eckes started the No. 19 Silverado on the pole position, leading all 30 laps in Stage 1. However, he sped on Pit Road during the ensuing caution, putting him deep in the field on the restart. That didn’t dissuade him from charging back to the front, however, as he took over the lead on the final caution that forced the race into NASCAR Overtime.
Eckes only recently took control of the No. 19 Silverado, having parted ways with his previous Ford team upon conclusion of the 2022 racing season. He explained that Saturday’s victory was just the result he needed in order to prove that he’s a force to be reckoned with on track.
“It’s been a tough offseason,” said Eckes. “I’m driving harder than I ever have – I have a lot to prove. The people know who they are. I’m really happy. Thanks to [crew chief] Charles [Denike], everybody on this team. They work so damn hard. This is what makes it all worth it. I’m pumped. It’s going to be a really good year.”
| Finish | Start | Car Number | Driver | Team | Laps Run | Laps Led | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 19 | Christian Eckes | NAPA AutoCare Chevrolet | 137 | 35 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 2 | 20 | 2 | Nick Sanchez # | Gainbridge Chevrolet | 137 | 11 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 3 | 24 | 17 | John Hunter Nemechek(i) | Berry's Manufacturing Toyota | 137 | 53 | Toyota Tundra |
| 4 | 30 | 41 | Bayley Currey(i) | Unishippers Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 5 | 3 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | Farm Paint Ford | 137 | 3 | Ford F-150 |
| 6 | 10 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley Roofing Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 7 | 9 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Bama Buggies Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 8 | 18 | 56 | Timmy Hill | UNITS Storage Toyota | 137 | 2 | Toyota Tundra |
| 9 | 8 | 88 | Matt Crafton | Great Lakes Flooring/Menards Ford | 137 | 29 | Ford F-150 |
| 10 | 17 | 51 | Jack Wood | Logitech Chevrolet | 137 | 2 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 11 | 2 | 98 | Ty Majeski | Curb Records Ford | 137 | 0 | Ford F-150 |
| 12 | 32 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | AdventHealth Ford | 137 | 0 | Ford F-150 |
| 13 | 33 | 32 | Bret Holmes # | Pate Holdings Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 14 | 35 | 30 | Ryan Vargas | Leargas Security Toyota | 137 | 0 | Toyota Tundra |
| 15 | 25 | 2 | Kris Wright | F.N.B. Corporation Chevrolet | 137 | 1 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 16 | 19 | 43 | Daniel Dye # | Heise LED Lighting Systems Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 17 | 34 | 46 | Akinori Ogata | Kyowa-Eidemiller Precision Toyota | 137 | 0 | Toyota Tundra |
| 18 | 12 | 35 | Jake Garcia # | Quanta Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 19 | 7 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 20 | 1 | 38 | Zane Smith | Fr8Auctions.com Ford | 137 | 0 | Ford F-150 |
| 21 | 27 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Off the Grid Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 22 | 14 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar International Toyota | 137 | 0 | Toyota Tundra |
| 23 | 28 | 22 | Josh Reaume | JAG Metals LLC. Ford | 137 | 0 | Ford F-150 |
| 24 | 11 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Dead On Tools Toyota | 137 | 0 | Toyota Tundra |
| 25 | 22 | 24 | Rajah Caruth # | Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 26 | 13 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | LiUNA! Toyota | 136 | 0 | Toyota Tundra |
| 27 | 15 | 9 | Colby Howard | Grant County Mulch Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 28 | 23 | 1 | Layne Riggs | Infinity Communications Group Toyota | 134 | 0 | Toyota Tundra |
| 29 | 26 | 33 | Mason Massey | Wespro JCB Ford | 134 | 0 | Ford F-150 |
| 30 | 16 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Thompson Pipe Group Toyota | 131 | 0 | Toyota Tundra |
| 31 | 5 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Worldwide Express Chevrolet | 127 | 0 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 32 | 21 | 45 | Lawless Alan | AUTOChargit Chevrolet | 126 | 0 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 33 | 29 | 4 | Kaden Honeycutt | Carquest Ford | 123 | 1 | Ford F-150 |
| 34 | 6 | 11 | Corey Heim | Safelite Toyota | 83 | 0 | Toyota Tundra |
| 35 | 31 | 20 | Mason Maggio | HMY Yachts Chevrolet | 52 | 0 | Chevrolet Silverado RST |
| 36 | 36 | 34 | Keith McGee(i) | RBR Ford | 7 | 0 | Ford F-150 |
# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
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