DARLINGTON, S.C. — On paper, it's easy to understand why Kaulig Racing hired Christian Eckes to drive in the Xfinity Series. In reality, the accolades on the track were only part of the decision. A confrontation actually helped spark this partnership.
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As Kaulig Racing President Chris Rice explained to FanBuzz during a testing session at Darlington Raceway, Eckes' tenacity during a "tussle" with Corey Heim was a major bonus.
"He didn't back down," Rice said. "And I liked that. I liked his grit because he did it for his race team, not just for himself. He did it for his race team."
The incident that sparked Rice's attention took place at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July 2024. Eckes and Corey Heim were racing hard in Turn 2 when their trucks made contact.
Heim was squeezed into the fence and ultimately cut a tire. He then ran into Eckes under caution as sparks flew from his truck.
The two drivers later took part in a relatively heated conversation on pit road after the race. Eckes said he tried to leave Heim a lane, but the Tricon Garage driver said that he had been driven into the wall.
Tight racing between Corey Heim and Christian Eckes that led to a heated moment under caution: https://t.co/hfMznF6mvU pic.twitter.com/3Q056wi8Zf
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) July 20, 2024
The discussion was heated, but it did not escalate. The two drivers didn't scream at each other, nor did they trade blows. They just went their separate ways. Yet this moment left a lasting impression on Rice and Kaulig Racing.
"I like that (attitude) a lot because this sport is hard," Rice continued. "I was telling Steve Phelps and those guys the other day, this is the hardest sport in America to get beyond top 15s in Cup. It's the hardest sport in America and Xfinity to get wins.
"You know, we've been fortunate enough to win 29 times since 2019, and we don't take that lightly. And I don't think he takes his racing lightly, and that's what I've seen out of him."
Eckes being willing to fight for his team impressed Rice, but he was not the only one who had to sign off on adding the Truck Series contender to the Xfinity lineup. This was a team decision.
Rice spoke extensively to Daniel Dye, a Truck Series teammate of Eckes', and longtime Kaulig driver AJ Allmendinger. He had in-depth meetings with team owner Matt Kaulig.
The consensus was that it was the right move, so Kaulig brought Eckes into the fold.
He joined an Xfinity lineup including Dye and Josh Williams, drivers with significantly different personalities. Eckes is rather serious while Williams enjoys joking around. Dye strikes a balance between the two but tends to be quieter.
Despite the differences, all three drivers have bonded quickly ahead of their first season together. Granted, it helped that they spent extensive time together at a holiday party when Allmendinger kept getting them alcoholic beverages.
Regardless of how the bonding happened, Rice is just happy to see it. He expects his team to be unified when it heads to Daytona International Speedway for the season-opening race and then throughout the rest of the 33-race schedule.
"I've been very impressed with how well they accept each other because it's hard, man," Rice said. "If you've got kids or you got people, you know that all of them need to be equal, and it's so hard to treat them all equal. They're all different.
"So they've done a great job of understanding that we're one team. Matt owns it all, I run it all, and we're gonna dig hard to do everything we can for everybody. They believe in it."
