2024 Weather Guard Truck Race

2024 Weather Guard Truck Race

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 0.533 mi (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	Christian Eckes	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.

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]

• (R) denotes rookie driver.
• (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.

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]

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.

Stage 1 Laps: 65

Stage 2 Laps: 65

Stage 3 Laps: 120

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Tyler Ankrum 174 1 2 Corey Heim 157 (-17) 1 3 Rajah Caruth 152 (–22) 2 4 Ty Majeski 145 (–29) 4 5 Christian Eckes 142 (–32) 1 6 Nick Sanchez 141 (–33) 1 7 Taylor Gray 138 (–36) 1 8 Matt Crafton 130 (–44) 1 9 Grant Enfinger 114 (–60) 2 10 Bret Holmes 95 (–79) Official driver's standings

Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Chevrolet 160 2 Toyota 133 (–27) 3 Ford 127 (–33) Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.