Christian Eckes Set to Make Speedway Debut at Pocono
Concord, North Carolina (May 30, 2018) – Recent ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards race winner Christian Eckes will make his speedway track debut in Friday evening’s General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 at Pocono Raceway.
Eckes, in the midst of his third part-time season racing with Venturini Motorsports, has competed in 17-ARCA events on tracks one-mile or less.
Due to ARCA Series’ competition age requirements, this weekend’s event marks the first time the 17-year old Middletown, NY native qualifies to run on a track outside the historical short track length (half-mile) he’s grown accustomed to.
Taking on Pocono’s intimidating 2.5-mile triangle configured track will be no easy task for the first-timer.
“Pocono will definitely be a challenge coming out of the gate for my first speedway race,” says Eckes. “I’m definitely excited but know there’s going to be a huge learning curve coming from my short track background. Fortunately, I’m with a team that’s had a lot of success on this track so I know going in we’ll have a great setup. The rest is up to me. I’ve spent a lot of time talking with other drivers and in the simulator preparing. I’m now ready to take that knowledge and apply it to real thing.”
Eckes, who’s testing with Kyle Busch Motorsports Tuesday and Wednesday at Iowa Speedway in preparation for his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut on June 16, will miss today’s ARCA open test session. Teammate Michael Self will shake down his No.15 JBL Audio Toyota in his absence.
“The way my schedule panned out this week I’m gonna miss the ARCA test. But fortunately, I had an opportunity to test with the team last summer before the June race and laid down some pretty good laps. The track is fast and the tunnel turn is as tricky as it gets. We’ll be fine – my time behind the wheel at last year’s test gave me a really good idea of what to expect. I’m just glad this day finally came. Excited for my chance to race on such an iconic track.”
Already with three series starts on the season Eckes will compete in nine more races with Venturini Motorsports in 2018 – including the second Pocono race in July.
During his stint in the ARCA Series Eckes has led 348-laps while tallying one victory, five top-5 and 12 top-10 finishes.
ARCA Open Test Wednesday ahead of race; Media welcome
There will be an ARCA open test Wednesday, May 30 at Pocono with on-track activities scheduled from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., with an hour break for lunch at noon. The media is invited out to cover the open test.
Practice for the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 is raceday, Friday morning from 10 – 11:25 a.m., with General Tire Pole Qualifying at 2 p.m. The General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 is live on FS2 Friday afternoon at 5:45 p.m.
In addition to live coverage on FS2, arcaracing.com will feature live timing and scoring and live chat of all on-track activities.
ABOUT VENTURINI MOTORSPORTS:
Over the last 35-years, Venturini Motorsports (VMS) has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in professional motorsports. Known for long-time dominance in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, Venturini Motorsports is held in high regard as one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the county. Since 2007, VMS has specialized in the career development of some of today’s top racing talent including current NASCAR “Stars” – Joey Logano, Erik Jones, William Byron, Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, Darryl ‘Bubba’ Wallace Jr., Daniel Suarez, Christopher Bell, Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Ben Rhoads, Ryan Reed, Brandon Jones, Matt Tifft, Brennan Poole, Dalton Sargeant, Justin Haley and Todd Gilliland. Integrity, dedication and continuous innovation paired with years of on-track success has helped define Venturini Motorsports as one of the longest-tenured teams in all of modern day racing. In 2012, the Venturini racing family was recognized for their collective achievements and inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (www.NIASHF.org) – now finding themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Chip Ganassi, Andy Granatelli, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano.
Official: www.VenturiniMotorsports.com | Twitter: @VenturiniMotor | Facebook: Venturini Motorsports
Sources: Venturini Motorsports PR