What a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race we got to watch go down at Bristol. Christian Eckes wins over Kyle Busch in a great battle. In the end, Rowdy just didn’t have enough to catch Eckes and make the pass.
Christian Eckes won his sixth career Truck Series race and the fifth race since last season. This was a really solid day overall for Kyle Busch and that makes Eckes’ victory that much more impressive.
Last fall at Bristol, Eckes won the pole award. Then he went on to finish P2 to Corey Heim. It cost him a shot at a championship. Now, he’s come back to win the pole and also win the race, leaving no doubt in the end.
This race looked like it would go to Rowdy. He has five Truck Series wins at Bristol, after all. In the end, Eckes found what he needed and put this one away to collect his first win of the season.
Rowdy wins Stage 1 at Bristol
Now tell me if this is shocking or not, but Kyle Busch won the first stage. There wasn’t a lot going on in the opening stretch of the Weather Guard Truck Race. An early caution courtesy of Keith McGee got the nerves shaken out of this race.
This track is slick and there are many places where you can lose control and slide. Busch showed these young drivers, once again, how it’s done. Bristol is his playground and it looked like it in that opening stage.
Stage 2 – Kyle Busch does it again
Just like the first stage, there were minor incidents but nothing major. Kyle Busch was in control the entire time. However, we started to see Christian Eckes making moves on the Cup Series driver. Eckes and that 19 truck came so close to winning in the fall, and after winning the pole again, he was ready to get it done today.
Stage 2 would ultimately end up being Busch’s though. Running through lapped traffic, Eckes couldn’t get a look at Busch that was clean enough to commit to. Instead of taking the lead, Eckes was fine taking P2 in the second stage.
In the end, it would be the No. 19 truck taking the lead and holding off Busch in the No. 7.
Christian Eckes puts it away
Tonight was the Eckes and Busch show. They led all but 10 laps on the night and were in a class of their own the entire race. Ever since that Daytona opener, the Truck Series has put on some great racing and that should be recognized.
Late in this one, Zane Smith and Matt Crafton tried to get involved, but a late caution would more or less settle that for them. They couldn’t keep up on the restart with Christian Eckes and Kyle Busch. Plain and simple.
Layne Riggs fought hard for his first top-10 of the season. Rajah Caruth picks up his fourth top-10 finish in a row, he’s on a hot streak that doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon.
If you wanted to watch great Truck Series racing, tonight was a good night for it. I know the Bristol Dirt was fun, but after seeing tonight’s race, it confirms that the concrete is the only way to go at The Last Great Colosseum.
More must-reads: