Christian Eckes to Join Kaulig in 2025 Xfinity
Eckes parlays his historic 2024 in trucks into a premium 2025 ride in the Xfinity series.
Christian Eckes will join Kaulig Racing's NASCAR Xfinity Series lineup in 2025. Eckes, who is currently competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will drive the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro. This move follows AJ Allmendinger's return to the NASCAR Cup Series.
Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing, stated that the team is focused on improving its Xfinity program and believes Eckes has proven his capabilities in the Truck Series.
Eckes, who is currently second in the Truck Series standings, has secured three wins in the 2024 season.
Analysis
This is a slam dunk signing for Kaulig, and a positive move for Eckes. Eckes' 7.74 positions finished above expected would rank as the second-best season in the 21st century in the truck series if he keeps it up through the end of the year. His 93% success rate would be the best. Lap Raptor has lap-by-lap data back to 2020, and his 2024 average running position of 3.8 on non-drafting ovals is the best on record. His average finish of 3.5 is also the best over the same period. Most impressive, his success rate on NDOs this season is 100% — the only perfect season since 2017 (when our track categorization begins) among drivers with at least 10 NDO starts. It's an absolute no-brainer to bring in a 23-year-old having such a supernova season and who has been on an upward trajectory since entering the truck series. It's nice to see Kaulig bringing in an exciting young driver for the first time in a while.