Eckes Runs Up Front at MIS, Suffers Late Loose Wheel

Christian Eckes displayed a tremendous level of fight and fortitude on Saturday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) but succumbed to a loose wheel at the end of the afternoon. The driver of the No. 91 Adaptive One Calipers Chevrolet Silverado RST took the checkered flag in 32nd position after scoring stage points in both segments. With 12 races complete, Eckes sits fifth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series championship standings.

Eckes took the green flag from 20th starting position after the team prioritized drivability over trimmed out speed. The outlook immediately paid dividends as Eckes powered his way into the top 10 in the first two laps, flexing his muscle on MIS’ high lane. He rocketed to ninth position by lap two and quickly became a player at the front of the field. After an early caution on lap six, Eckes communicated to crew chief Dave Elenz that his balance was lacking overall grip from the morning practice, and necessitated time out of the throttle. After restarting 10th on lap 12, Eckes moved as high as third by lap 14. A tight balance overtook his Chevrolet in the second half of the segment as he collected four points in seventh position at lap 30.

Elenz and the NAPA Auto Care pit crew serviced Eckes with four tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment to help his tight condition under the first stage yellow. He restarted ninth on lap 37 and instantly stormed into the top five. Just as in the first stage, Eckes’ balance built overly tight during the second segment, yet he was able to run sixth on lap 60 to earn five points.

Another four-tire stop under the second stage caution armed Eckes with four tires, fuel, and an adjustment. He elected to restart third on lap 67 and stayed in the top five until the day’s final scheduled pit stop under a lap 88 caution. While several trucks elected to take two tires or stay out, Eckes restarted 18th but quickly overcame the track position to run as high as sixth on lap 106. However, he reported a significant vibration and started losing pace. The culprit was a loose left rear wheel that forced him to pit road with 10 laps remaining and relegated him to a 32nd-place result.

“Disappointing for that to take us out of a top-10, or a chance to run in the top five” Eckes said. “We had decent pace in our Adaptive One Calipers Chevrolet. We were really good on restarts today, just trended too tight and lacked overall grip on a long run. We’ll clean some of this stuff up over the off week and get ready for San Diego.”

Start / Finish: 20 / 32
Points Standing / Total: 5th / 379 pts. (-118)

Next Race: Friday, June 19, Naval Base Coronado, San Diego, Calif.
How to Watch or Listen: 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1 or SiriusXM

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Christian Eckes: @christianeckes
Bill McAnally Racing: @BMR_NASCAR