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Eckes Earns Second-Consecutive Top-10 at Las Vegas
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By NAPA
Christian Eckes returned to victory lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) in thrilling fashion to give McAnally-Hilgemann Racing the organization’s first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) victory on Saturday afternoon. The driver of the No. 19
link hidden, please login to view Chevrolet Silverado RST reclaimed the points lead after racking up 50 points and capturing his second stage win of the year. The victory gives Eckes and his team a virtual lock to the NCTS playoffs for the third time in his career.
The Middletown, N.Y., native started the 137-lap event from the fourth position after inclement weather washed out qualifying on Friday afternoon. Eckes boldly asserted himself as a threat by taking the lead on the opening lap and dominated Stage 1. The NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet paced the field on the outside of the AMS high banks until a caution flew on lap 24. Crew chief Charles Denike kept Eckes on track to go for the stage win, and the call paid off. Eckes held off all challengers on lap 30 to earn 10 points and one playoff point with his second stage win of 2023 after leading every lap.
Eckes pitted under the stage caution for right side tires and restarted 20th on lap 38 as the running order flip-flopped due to contrasting pit strategies. Eckes stayed in the lead draft for the majority of Stage 2 and ran as high as ninth but was scored 14th at the end of the segment on lap 60. Denike put four tires on Eckes’ Chevrolet, which allowed him to restart 11th on lap 68. Another quick caution on lap 79 offered Eckes the chance to top off with fuel for the final run, but he was caught speeding on pit road.
Eckes started his march back to the front from 28th position on lap 84 and took advantage of every opportunity to claw his way back into contention. A restart on lap 103 saw him rocket to 11th, which included a four-wide maneuver to cut through the pack. Eckes worked the less-preferred bottom lane to perfection as he capitalized on the restarts to crack the top five on lap 121, and he claimed the runner-up spot on lap 123. A late caution set up an overtime restart. Eckes elected to take the bottom of the front row, which proved to be the winning decision. Eckes traded the lead with fellow Chevrolet driver Nick Sanchez on the overtime restart and used a surge of momentum on the final lap to pull alongside for the lead down the backstretch. Eckes held the lead on the final lap as a caution waved coming out of Turn 4 to secure the victory, his third playoff berth, and his first victory at AMS.
“Just really happy,” Eckes said. “Thanks to Charles (Denike), everybody on this team. They work so damn hard and this is what makes it all worth it. Thanks to NAPA, Chevrolet, everybody. I’m pumped. It’s going to be a really good year.
“I think this is just what I kind of figured was going to happen coming here. I knew the potential of Charles (Denike), and I knew the potential of the race team, and Bill’s passion to win, so it made my decision to come here really easy.”
Start / Finish: 4 / 1
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 151 pts.
Next Race: Saturday, March 25, Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas
How to Watch or Listen: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM
NAPA:
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By NAPA
After Chase Elliott suffered a fractured tibia in a snowboarding accident on Friday, NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Josh Berry was tapped to fill in as the driver of the No. 9 link hidden, please login to view Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Sunday’s Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In his first start in a Next Gen car, Berry adapted well, climbing from 32nd to 24th to round out stage one. The Hendersonville, Tennessee, native followed that up with a 26th-place finish in stage two before ultimately taking the checkered flag in 29th after battling through an issue with the throttle. After Chase Elliott suffered a fractured tibia in a snowboarding accident on Friday, NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Josh Berry was tapped to fill in as the driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet for Sunday’s Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Turning his first ever laps in a Next Gen car, Berry qualified in the 32nd position. After the green flag dropped, the 32-year-old took the opening laps to adapt and managed to gain a few positions before green-flag pit stops commenced. Once the field cycle through stops, Berry was scored in 26th. He continued his climb forward, taking the green-and-white checkered flag to end stage one in 24th at the conclusion of lap 80.
During the stage break, Berry radioed to the team that the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy’s balance was better than it had been on Saturday, but that the car was a little on the tight side. After a pit stop for four tires and fuel, he started stage two from 24th on lap 89 and lost a few spots after making slight contact with the wall. When green-flag pit stops ensued, the team called Berry in for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment on lap 122. Scored in 29th once pit stops cycled through, he reported that the No. 9 was much better. Berry pressed forward as the run went on and was scored in the 26th position to end stage two. Under the caution, he communicated to crew chief Alan Gustafson that the throttle pedal felt sticky. He added that he was struggling in dirty air as he was learning the new car.
Berry took the green flag for the final stage from the 28th position on lap 172 and was scored in 29th when the caution flag waved on lap 184. With the team being two laps down due to long green-flag runs throughout the race, Gustafson made the call for Berry to take the wave around to get one of the laps back. During the final stage Berry continued to report issues with the throttle and when a caution came out with just four laps to go, the team made a pit stop for four tires, fuel and attempted to make repairs. After further evaluation, the team determined that they wouldn’t be able to fix the issue and sent Berry back out for the overtime restart. He battled hard in those finals laps, ultimately taking the checkered flag in the 29th position.
“I learned a lot, especially in the first two stages,” Berry said. “I think we definitely saw at times we were running some pretty good lap times. Just struggled with dirty air; knowing where to put the car and how to do that. There’s a lot of learning to be done, but all-in-all, it was still a pretty good time.”
Start / Finish: 32 / 29
Next Race: Sunday, March 12, Phoenix Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: FOX, MRN and SiriusXM
NAPA:
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By NAPA
Chase Elliott started Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway from the 33rd position after qualifying was rained out and the starting lineup was determined by the rule book. The 27-year-old drove to a 10th-place finish in the first stage and took the green-and-white checkered flag in seventh to end the second stage. The 2020 Cup Series champion continued his climb forward in the final stage, earning a second-place finish in the 200-lap race in Fontana, California. Elliott now sits 14th in the point standings after the second event of the 2023 season, 43 points behind the leader. After a weekend full of rain in Fontana, California, the NASCAR Cup Series took the green flag on Sunday afternoon for its 200-lap race at Auto Club Speedway. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 link hidden, please login to view team started the race from the 33rd position after the lineup was set according to the rule book. It didn’t take long for Elliott to begin his climb forward. When the competition caution flag waved at the conclusion of lap 15, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native was scored in the 25th position. Under caution, Elliott reported that his NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was getting tight center off during the run. The team made its first pit stop of the day for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment.
Elliott was 25th after his pit stop and chose the top lane for the restart on lap 20. He made quick work of the cars ahead of him, charging his way to 12th by lap 41. Just one lap later the caution flag was displayed and crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. A fast stop by the No. 9 pit crew catapulted Elliott to seventh upon leaving pit road. The 2020 Cup Series champion chose the top lane once again. Elliott maneuvered his way to fifth on lap 49, but his No. 9 Chevrolet was too free as the run progressed and he was scored 10th at the conclusion of stage one on lap 65. During the stage-ending caution, the team made the call to reverse the previous adjustments during its pit stop for four tires and fuel in an effort to tighten up the NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet.
Elliott chose the top lane to start the second stage on lap 72 and was running in 13th when the caution flag waved just two laps later. The team made another stop for four tires and fuel and Elliott restarted just inside the top 15 on lap 79. He improved his position and made his way back up to 10th before the caution flag waved on lap 81. After opting to stay out on the track, Elliott was scored in eighth and took the top lane for the restart. Before the entire field could take the green flag, a multi-car incident brought out the yellow flag once again. Staying out for a second time, he took the top for the lap-91 restart. Elliott faded to 13th on lap 97, but as the run went on his Chevrolet came to life. The driver of the No. 9 powered his way to seventh before the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end stage two on lap 130. During the stage break, the team made a fast pit stop for four tires and fuel, gaining Elliott two positions.
The 27-year-old driver was scored in the fifth position following his pit stop and chose the top lane before the start of the final stage on lap 136. He was in that same spot when the caution flag was displayed on lap 141. Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four tires and the team packed the No. 9 Chevrolet full of fuel. He lined up seventh for the choose cone and opted for the top lane. The field took the green flag for the restart with just 55 laps to go and Elliott continued to battle inside the top 10. He was back up to fifth on lap 149 and gained two more positions before scheduled green flag pit stops began around lap 165. Gustafson called Elliott to pit road on lap 167 for the team’s final pit stop of the day. On lap 175, the Hendrick Motorsports driver was in the fourth position with one car left to pit. He continued to track down the cars ahead of him, advancing to second on lap 182. Elliott drove hard in the final laps but ran out of time to battle for the lead. He ultimately took the checkered flag in the second position, his best career finish at the 2-mile facility. Kyle Busch claimed the victory. Elliott’s runner-up finish and stage points earned helped him improve to 14th in the Cup Series point standings. He is just 43 points behind the leader as the series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend.
“Just really proud of our team,” Elliott said. “We obviously didn’t run very good there toward the end of the year last year, and everybody really went to work hard over the winter to try and get better. I appreciate everybody on our NAPA team for just sticking with it and sticking with each other. I think we still have some work to do, but it was really nice to just see a lot of that hard work pay off and have the car driving like we were wanting it to do. That’s always a good thing. Appreciate everybody’s effort; everybody at Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet.”
Start / Finish: 33 / 2
Points Standing / Total: 14th / 49 pts. (-43)
Next Race: Sunday, March 5, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM
NAPA:
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By NAPA
Christian Eckes kicked off the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) season in impactful fashion by scoring a third-place finish at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) on Friday night. The driver of the No. 19
link hidden, please login to view Chevrolet Silverado RST claimed the NCTS point lead with the top-five result after capturing the first stage victory. Eckes’ 50-point performance marked the first top-five result at a superspeedway for MHR, his second-straight podium finish at DIS, and the second-consecutive superspeedway event in which he led the most laps (19).
Eckes took the green flag from fourth position after advancing to the second round of qualifying on Friday afternoon. His assertiveness was on full display from the drop of the green as Eckes wheeled the NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado to the lead on the second lap. Two cautions waved for precipitation in the opening stage before Eckes worked the draft in the outside lane to perfection and snagged the Stage 1 win on lap 20 to secure 10 points and one playoff point.
Crew chief Charles Denike brought Eckes to pit road for a fuel only stop under the stage caution. He restarted in 10th on lap 26 for an abbreviated run in the second stage. A multi-truck accident on lap 29 broke up Stage 2, but Eckes once again inserted himself in the fight for the top spot. He threaded the needled in the middle lane to collect six points in fifth position at the end of the stage on lap 40.
Denike armed Eckes with four tires under the second stage caution, and allowed him to restart in eighth position on lap 48. A caution on lap 58 set up the final round of pit stops under yellow. Eckes took two tires just beyond the edge of the fuel window, but topped off with gas on lap 64 prior to the ensuing restart. He made quick work to rejoin the top five on lap 66. Eckes was in the process of utilizing the outside lane to make a bid for the top spot when another caution for precipitation waved on lap 69.
He was scored in third at the moment of caution and was credited with the podium result as the race was declared official after 79 circuits. Eckes holds a five-point advantage in the NCTS championship standings heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“Definitely a lot of positives,” Eckes said of the season-opening event. “We had a really fast No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet and that’s all we got to show for it. Third is great with some good stage points. Good to build on, but obviously we want to win. So, just a huge thanks to everyone at McAnally-Hilgemann Racing and we’ll go to Vegas and try to win there.”
Start / Finish: 4 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 2,016 pts.
Next Race: Friday, March 3, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM
NAPA:
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By Counterman
The 2,500-mile drive from Babcox Media’s headquarters in Akron, Ohio, to Las Vegas, across the iconic Route 66, is enough to test any vehicle. But the car Babcox Media’s Joe Keene picked to rehab and drive to AAPEX isn’t just any car. It’s a 33-year-old Cadillac Brougham with more than 180,000 miles on the odometer.
As Keene says in the first episode of “The Road to AAPEX,” “It’s about the journey,” and the ASE-certified technician had a long road ahead of him as he brought the Cadillac up to a safe standard. With the help of aftermarket suppliers and experts, Keene conquered the leaking transmission, an air suspension that didn’t work, and a complete lack of air conditioning (which could have made a drive through the desert even longer), to name a few challenges.
“There were a lot of things about the car that weren’t specified in the ad,” Keene said with a laugh. “It floated, the steering was all over the place, the windows didn’t work–just all kinds of things going on with it. But I didn’t want something easy. I wanted something that was going to be an ‘are you going to make it’ moment every time I get in the car.”
Combing through junk yards, testing the counterman’s expertise in hunting down new parts for an old car, and a trip to Ohio Technical College were just a few stops Joe makes to whip the Caddy into shape. Watch the first episode above to see how Joe takes a clunker and, with expert help from the automotive aftermarket, gets it ready to tackle The Road to AAPEX.
Vehicle Stats
Make/model: Cadillac Brougham Year: 1989 Hometown: Arlington, Texas Mileage: 180,000+ miles Engine: 307 LV2 Olds V-8 Power: 140 hp and 245 lb./ft. Weight: 4,500 lbs. Length: 20 ft. Fuel capacity: 21 gallons Fuel economy: 15 city/22 highway Tires: 225/65R17 Transmission: Remanufactured Turbo-Hydramatic 200-4R Brakes: Front vented disc/rear drum brakes Air conditioning: R134a conversion Air bags: None AAPEX will take place Nov. 1-3 in Las Vegas. For more information, visit the link hidden, please login to view.
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