2024 Weather Guard Truck Race
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| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 23 of the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | March 16, 2024 | ||
| Official name | 4th Annual Weather Guard Truck Race | ||
| Location | Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 0.533 miles (0.858 km) | ||
| Distance | 250 laps, 133 mi (214 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 250 laps, 133 mi (214 km) | ||
| Average speed | 80.017 mph (128.775 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | ||
| Time | 15.122 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | |
| Laps | 144 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FS1 | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Phil Parsons, and Michael Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
The 2024 Weather Guard Truck Race was the 4th stock car race of the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the 4th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent asphalt oval shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 250 laps to complete. Throughout the entirety of the event, the race was known for an intense and exciting battle between Christian Eckes and Kyle Busch. Eckes, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, took over the lead from Busch on the final restart, and held him off in the final few laps to earn his sixth career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, and his first of the season.[9] Eckes won the pole and led a race-high 144 laps. Busch led 105 laps and won both stages, but spun his tires on the final restart and ultimately finished 2nd. To fill out the podium, Busch, driving for Spire Motorsports, and Zane Smith, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Background
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking combined with short length, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating.
In 2021, the race shifted to a dirt surface version of the track and was renamed the Food City Dirt Race.[10]
On September 15, 2023, Bristol Motor Speedway announced that the race would return to being run on concrete.[11]
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
Practice was held on Saturday, March 16, at 3:00 PM EST.[12] Since Bristol Motor Speedway is a short track, drivers were split into two groups, Group A and B, with both sessions being 15 minutes long. Christian Eckes, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, was the fastest driver between both groups, with a lap of 15.553, and a speed of 123.372 mph (198.548 km/h).[13]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 15.553 | 123.372 |
| 2 | 66 | Conner Jones (R) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 15.576 | 123.190 |
| 3 | 2 | Nick Sanchez | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 15.584 | 123.126 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Saturday, March 16, at 3:40 PM EST.[12] Since Bristol Motor Speedway is a short track, the qualifying system used is a single-car, two-lap system with only one round. Whoever sets the fastest time in that round will win the pole.[14]
Christian Eckes, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 15.122, and a speed of 126.888 mph (204.206 km/h).[15]
No drivers would fail to qualify.
