Christian Eckes has locked in his plans for the 2026 NASCAR season. He will return “home” after one season with Kaulig Racing.
Eckes will return to McAnally-Hilgemann Racing for the 2026 Craftsman Truck Series season. He will take on his third full-time campaign with the organization as he drives the No. 91 Chevrolet Silverado. He will also try to take care of some unfinished business after ending his last Truck Series season third in the championship standings.
In two seasons with MHR, Eckes won eight of 46 races. He posted 35 top-10 finishes and 25 top-fives before moving up to the Xfinity Series for one season. Now, he will try to add to these numbers in his return home.
“I couldn’t be happier to be back at MHR,” Eckes said in a press release. “We had a lot of success in 2023-24, and we want to get back to that next year. Bill (McAnally) and I have always had a great relationship and we’re putting a lot of quality people and pieces together.
“We had two great years here, and I enjoyed the races I ran this past year. It’s great to stay in a Chevrolet and have their commitment to MHR. Also, the relationships with NAPA, their suppliers, and ownerships made a lot of sense to come back here and chase a championship together.”
This tenure at MHR will be different than the last. Eckes will have a new crew chief calling the shots after Charles Denike moved to 23XI Racing. This time, Dave Elenz will lead the team as Eckes pursues wins.
Elenz has extensive experience as a crew chief in the top two NASCAR series. He previously guided Erik Jones and the No. 43 team in the Cup Series, and he celebrated a Southern 500 win.
Elenz’s time in what is now the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series included 228 races atop the pit box, 15 trips to victory lane, and two championships. Now, he will take on the Truck Series for the first time as a crew chief.
“I’m looking forward to working with Christian and everyone at MHR,” Elenz said. “This will be a new challenge, and there’s a lot of optimism for what we can accomplish together. It’ll be great to have a full off-season to prepare so we can show up to Daytona ready to compete for wins.”