Christian Eckes Takes JBL Audio Back to Madison for Next ARCA Start
Christian Eckes (No.15 JBL Audio Toyota) will dial it up again when the ARCA Menards Series hits the halfway point of the season in Friday night’s Shore Lunch 200 at Madison International Speedway.
Eckes, 18, will make his third career appearance at the Wisconsin half-mile. Skipping last year’s Madison race to make his NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series debut at Iowa Speedway, the Middletown, NY native finished fifth in his last visit to the state capital in 2017.
A four-time ARCA winner in 35 starts, each of Eckes’ victories have come via the short track. His most recent victory coming earlier in the season at Fairgrounds Nashville Speedway. Chasing a championship Eckes currently occupies the fourth spot in the ARCA driver point standings – 130 markers behind teammate and series’ leader Michael Self.
In his last series start at Michigan International Speedway, the young driver turned in a hard fought seventh place finish. Determined to find his way back to victory lane Eckes has all the confidence in his JBL Audio backed team.
“It’s been a rough couple of months but we’re looking to turn it around this weekend at Madison,” said the Toyota Racing Development driver. “It’s a track that I have loved in the past but haven’t been to in two years, so I’m really looking to get back there. The Venturini organization has shown a ton of success over the past decade at this place and I’m ready to keep it going. Our JBL Audio team has brought awesome race cars so far this year and we’re ready to go make it happen.”
Eckes’ Venturini Motorsports (VMS) team enters this week’s competition with six series victories out of the first nine events of 2019. The team with 58 all-time series wins has recorded four victories at Madison (Alex Bowman, Kyle Benjamin, Justin Boston, and Chandler Smith) since 2011.
Practice for the Shore Lunch 200 at Madison International Speedway is scheduled for 1:15 CDT on Friday, June 14, with General Tire Pole qualifying set for 5pm CDT. The 200-lap event will be televised live on MAVTV starting at 8pm CDT.
Sources: Venturini Motorsports