Christian Eckes will join Kaulig Racing full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025, the team announced Saturday at Darlington Raceway.
Eckes, 23, will drive the No. 16 Chevrolet for the Matt Kaulig-owned team. The Middletown, New York native currently pilots the No. 19 Chevrolet for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and is one of 10 Truck Series Playoffs drivers currently battling in the Round of 10.
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AJ Allmendinger, who currently drives the No. 16 Chevy for the team in the Xfinity Series, will return to Cup Series in 2025 as a full-time driver for the organization. Shane van Gisbergen, who currently pilots the No. 97 Kaulig Chevy and posted three wins, will also jump to Cup in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.
Since joining McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in 2023, Eckes has accumulated seven wins, 21 top fives, 29 top 10s and 1,184 laps led in 40 Truck races. Eckes finished fifth in the final standings last season and currently ranks first in the points table through the Round of 10‘s opening contest at the Milwaukee Mile last weekend, where he finished third. The 2024 campaign is Eckes‘ fourth full-time season in the Truck Series.
Kaulig Racing announced last weekend at Daytona International Speedway that Daniel Dye would join the organization to race full-time for the team beginning in 2025. With Eckes‘ entrance into the team fold, Kaulig will sport three full-time Xfinity drivers next season: Dye (No. 10), Josh Williams (No. 11) and Eckes (No. 16).
Eckes will next compete in the second of three Round of 10 races at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 19 (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
This story will be updated.
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