Christian Eckes will be etching a new chapter to his racing career by campaigning on a full-time basis in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing in 2025.
The news comes as the 23-year-old Eckes from Greenville, New York, is campaigning in his fourth full-time season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series division and his second in recent seasons with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. Through 17 of 23 scheduled Truck starts in 2024, Eckes has recorded three victories, three poles, 11 top-five results, 16 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 5.8. He also claimed this year’s Truck Series Regular Season Championship as he is competing in the series Playoffs and pursuing his first series drivers’ championship.
“I’m extremely thankful and grateful for [owner] Matt Kaulig, [team president] Chris Rice and everyone involved for the opportunity to be a part of Kaulig Racing,” Eckes said in a press release. “What they have been able to do as a company in just a few short years has been incredible. I’m looking forward to adding to that success in 2025 and beyond.”
Eckes, who grew up competing in Legends Cars and late models, made his inaugural presence within NASCAR’s top three national touring series at Iowa Speedway, where he finished an impressive eighth place while driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) in the Truck Series. Since then, the New York native has made 108 Truck starts and has driven for KBM, ThorSport Racing and McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. During the span, he accumulated eight victories, 67 top-10 results and four Playoff appearances, including this season. He also won the 2019 ARCA Menards Series championship while driving for Venturini Motorsports.
Eckes, who will campaign in the Xfinity circuit for the first time in 2025, will pilot the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro that is currently being piloted by veteran AJ Allmendinger. With Allmendinger set to move back up to the Cup Series next season, Eckes will be paired with Josh Williams and Daniel Dye. Dye was announced as a 2025 full-time competitor of Kaulig’s No. 10 Chevrolet entry last weekend at Daytona International Speedway.
“Matt Kaulig and I have invested a lot of time thinking and planning for what the future of Kaulig Racing looks like,” Chris Rice said. “We’re continuing to improve our Xfinity program, and we are making decisions to help us do that. Christian [Eckes] has proven himself in the Truck Series and we’re excited to have him take the next step in his career and be a part of our program beginning in 2025.”
“Christian [Eckes] is one of the brightest young stars in our sport,” Matt Kaulig added. “He has shown over the last two years that he is ready to take the next step and we’re looking forward to seeing him grow into the future of Kaulig Racing.”
Christian Eckes’ 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign with Kaulig Racing is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 15th. The event’s broadcast station will be aired through the CW Network.
