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Despite coming up short in the Championship race, Christian Eckes put forth one of the greatest seasons in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history. The driver of the No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing truck added his name to numerous records, including a near-perfect top-10 streak and the best average finish in Truck Series history. Let’s dive into Eckes’ 2024 season and how it may never be replicated again.

• 2024 was a historic season for Christian Eckes. He set numerous records and set new benchmarks for the Truck Series that many will look back as one of the greatest seasons in NASCAR history.
• Eckes finished the season with four wins, 15 top-fives, and 22 top-10s. He led the series in top fives, top 10s, average finish, and laps led.
• Eckes will move up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series next year. He will drive for Kaulig Racing in the No. 16 Chevrolet, taking over for AJ Allmendinger, who returns to the Cup Series.

Most Top-10s in NASCAR History

Eckes finished the 2024 Truck Series season with 22 top-10s in 23 races. This marked the first time in the 21st century that a driver finished a season with only one finish outside the top 10. The last driver to accomplish this was Ron Hornaday Jr. in 1996. In just the second year of the series’ existence, Hornady finished with 23 top-10s in 24 starts en route to his first Truck Series title. That’s some good company for Eckes to be alongside a Hall-of-Famer in that category.

What was that one race he didn’t finish in the top 10? The second race of the season at Atlanta, when he finished 30th after getting caught in a wreck. He went from the third race to the final race of the year with 21 straight top-10s. His worst finish? 10th at Charlotte during that span. With how competitive modern NASCAR is and how unpredictable a race can be. It’s no wonder it’s taken 28 years for this record to be matched.

All-Time Average Finish

It’s not just the top 10s that made Eckes’ season so historic. While he shares the record with Hornady for top-10s, he alone now holds the record for the best average finish. In 2024, Eckes’ average finish was an unthinkable 5.4, a new record for a Truck Series season. It’s impressive when a driver has an average finish under 10th. To put into context, even Kyle Larson, in 2021, when he won 10 races, finished with a 9.1 average finish. The previous record was held by Christopher Bell, who finished the 2017 season with a 5.7 average finish.

Eckes finished the year with four wins, 15 top-fives, and 22 top-10s. He finished 65% of the races inside the top five and 96% inside the top 10. He led the series in top fives and top 10s, only trailing in wins behind Heim, who had six on the year. Average finishes inside the top five are rare. What Eckes did was nothing short of legendary.

Over 1,000 Laps Led

Eckes finished the season with 1,050 laps led. The last driver to lead more than 1,000 laps in a season was Kyle Busch back in 2010. Busch ran a part-time schedule, which made his run even more impressive, and he finished with 1,076 laps led in 16 races. The last full-time driver to lead 1,000-plus laps was Hornady back in 2009. He ended the year with 1,091 laps upfront.

Eckes’ 1,050 laps led puts him third among full-time drivers in NASCAR’s top three series, only behind Bell and Larson. A driver leading over 1,000 laps is common in the Cup Series and even the Xfinity Series. However, those series run 36 and 33 races each year, giving more opportunities to run up front. This year, the Truck Series ran 23 races, meaning that, on average, Eckes led 45.7 laps per race. For reference, Larson’s 1,700 laps led in 24′ puts him at an average of 47.2 laps per race. A historic record for a historic season.

A Dominant Nashville Win

Eckes won the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville back in the summer. It was his third win of the season, and he won in dominating fashion. Eckes led from flag to flag, leading all 150 laps of the race. His performance looked straight out of a Formula 1 race with how dominant he was. Even with seven cautions, no one could pass the No. 19 for the race lead. Eckes had many highs in 2024, but this one might be the biggest.

2024 was a historic year for Christian Eckes. He set numerous records and put his season amongst the best. Even without the championship, it will be a season to remember as one of the greatest in NASCAR history.

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