Eckes Seeking Father’s Day Success in Second ARCA Start
Christian Eckes is heading to Dairyland to make his second ARCA Racing Series start in the Montgomery Ward Father’s Day 200 at the Madison International Speedway on Sunday. The 15-year-old driver will once again be driving the No. 15 New York Bus Sales Toyota Camry for Venturini Motorsports.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Eckes. “I’ve watched videos of past races and the track looks like a fun time. It kind of reminds me of South Alabama. There will be less pressure than the first one too so I’m looking forward to it.”
Eckes finished eighth in his ARCA debut earlier this year at the Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville in Tennessee. He also finished seventh in his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut on Memorial Day at Virginia’s Dominion Raceway.
Those two top-10 finishes have Eckes extremely confident for Madison on Sunday afternoon.
“We had the K&N start (at Dominion) and the ARCA start at Nashville so I definitely think both of those starts are going to help me out tremendously this weekend,” he said. “They’re basically the same car, so I think that’ll be a key factor there. It’s also a confidence boost going into the next race having seat time in cars like that.”
Another reason Eckes is so confident heading into Sunday’s start is because of Venturini’s past success at Madison. Venturini Motorsports has won two of the last four races at Madison. Because of that, Eckes is no longer thinking that just a top 10 finish is good enough.
“I’m honestly top five or top three, somewhere in there,” Eckes said. “Venturini Motorsports has had a lot of success there, even with young drivers and I don’t think a top five is outlandish at all. I definitely think we can make that happen.”
While Sunday’s race isn’t Eckes’ first ARCA start, this one has the potential to be even more special thanks to its Father’s Day date.
“The times that I’ve raced on Father’s Day I’ve always won, so it’s always pretty cool for him to be there,” Eckes said. “Hopefully I can do that for him again.”
Eckes will practice and qualify at Madison International Speedway on Saturday, June 18. He will then race the ARCA Racing Series Montgomery Ward Father’s Day 200 on Sunday, June 19 at 2 p.m. CT.
For more on Christian Eckes, visit www.christianeckesracing.com, and be sure to follow him on Twitter, @ChristianEckes.
Sources: 51 Sports/Christian Eckes PR