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Christian Eckes, Venturini Motorsports Rake In Special Awards in the Music City

www.arcaracing.com May 8, 2019

Christian Eckes (No. 15 JBL Audio Toyota) returned to the front of the ARCA Menards Series field in style on Sunday at Nashville, winning the General Tire Music City 200 Presented by Inspectra Thermal Solutions and taking home a slew of special awards for his team. Eckes’ struggles in the month of April were well documented, missing the Salem race with a serious illness and then finishing last at Talladega due to a crash. The race win and special awards that Eckes and his Venturini Motorsports team piled up at Nashville may be able to serve as some consolation.

The weekend started with Chandler Smith (No. 20 Craftsman Toyota) winning the General Tire Pole Award after the field was set based on practice speeds. Inclement weather caused cancellation of the scheduled qualifying session. Smith’s sixth career General Tire Pole Award was also his second of the 2019 season. Smith is the first driver to win multiple General Tire Pole Awards this year. Christian Eckes, Carson Hocevar (No. 28 Scott’s/KBR Development Chevrolet) and Brandon Lynn (No. 20 Carolina Excavation & Grading Toyota) have also started from the pole in 2019.

Eckes took the lead from Smith on lap 81 and never looked back on Sunday, leading 120 laps in total and collecting the Valvoline Lap Leader award for the day. Eckes has now led 129 laps on the season, second in the yearly standings to teammate Michael Self (No. 25 Sinclair Oil Toyota) and his 140 laps led. Self failed to lead a lap at a short track for the first time this year and was collected in an accident that ended his day prematurely. Smith led 76 laps, moving him to third in the lap leader standings with 117 total laps led on the year.

Eckes was the leader at halfway for the first time in 2019. He became the fourth different driver to pick up the Richmond Water Heaters Halfway Leader award this season, joining two-time halfway leader Michael Self as well as Gus Dean (No. 32 Nu-Calgon Chevrolet) and Sean Corr (No. 43 NESCO Chevrolet).

By virtue of the victory, Eckes was the Bounty Rookie of the Race. Eckes made up some ground in the Bounty Rookie Challenge yearly standings, but he still trails Tommy Vigh Jr. (No. 10 Extreme Kleaner Ford) overall. Vigh was involved in an accident at Nashville and limped his damaged car to the finish in 12th. Vigh leads the Bounty Rookie Challenge standings with 132 points. Eckes trails with 116 points and Corey Heim (No. 22 Speedway Children’s Charities Ford) rounds out the top three with 82 points.

Eckes’ win after a third-place qualifying effort earned his crew chief Kevin Reed the Cometic Crew Chief of the Race award. No. 20 Venturini Motorsports crew chief/car owner Billy Venturini still leads the Crew Chief of the Year standings with 29 points. Mark McFarland (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) and Paul Andrews (No. 22 Chad Bryant Racing Ford) are deadlocked in second with 58 points. Reed moves into fourth with 64 points.

Michael Self’s accident meant there was a shakeup atop the Sioux Chief Short Track Challenge standings. Ty Gibbs (No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota) unseated Self to retake the lead with 640 points. Gibbs previously led the standings after Pensacola due to a penalty leveled against Self’s team. Chandler Smith is hot on Gibbs’ heels with 635 points. Self drops to third with 600 points. Corey Heim and Bret Holmes (No. 23 Holmes II Excavation Chevrolet) are tied for fourth with 585 points.

Holmes was one of six drivers on the lead lap at the checkers on Sunday, helping him maintain his lead in the S&S Volvo Laps Completed award standings. Holmes has completed 661 out of a possible 663 laps thus far in the 2019 season. Joe Graf Jr. (No. 77 Eat Sleep Race Ford) holds second in the standings with 657 laps completed while overall series championship leader Travis Braden (No. 27 MatrixCare/Consonus Ford) is third with 654 laps completed. Tommy Vigh Jr. is a distant fourth with 604 laps completed.

The ARCA Menards Series will be back in action on Sunday, May 19 at Toledo Speedway. Live television coverage will be carried by MAVTV starting at 2:00 PM Eastern, while live timing and scoring will be available to registered users online at ARCARacing.com.