Coming off a successful weekend competing in the Rattler 250, the LFR Driver Development Group is headed to Hickory Motor Speedway for the Easter Bunny 150. Christian Eckes, Tanner Gray and Riley Herbst will be piloting the LFR DDG Super Late Models during the race on Saturday, March 26.
“We’re really excited to have three of our developmental drivers racing at Hickory this weekend,” said Jeff Fultz, Late Model Division Director. “We just had a good showing at the Rattler and we’re ready to watch these kids keep developing their skills with more on-track time. We won there with William (Byron) around this time last year and we ran good again with our drivers in October, so we are looking to perform at that same level, if not better. We know we have good setups and speed at Hickory, we just need the luck too.”
Christian Eckes, a 15-year-old Greenville, N.Y. native, is coming off an extremely strong weekend after finishing third in the Rattler 250. Eckes previously competed at Hickory Motor Speedway last October with the LFR Driver Development Group during the final race of the 2015 CARS Tour Super Late Model Division. The race was a solid one for the young driver, as he started second and finished sixth in the event.
“The Rattler was great! I learned a lot,” explained Eckes. “I especially learned to stay calm no matter what happens on the track, which I think will help me throughout the season. Our last race at Hickory was great. We had a great qualifying session but obviously would have liked a better finish. We should be in great shape this weekend since I have a lot more experience with passing cars.”
Alongside Eckes will be Tanner Gray, a 16-year-old driver from Artesia, N.M. Gray, who recently made the switch from dirt to asphalt racing, tested last weekend at Hickory with LFR Driver Development Group leaders Tony Eury Jr. and Tony Eury Sr. This will be his first race at the 0.363-mile track.
“The test went really well and definitely has helped me prepare for this weekend,” said Gray. “I enjoy working with Tony Jr. and Tony Sr. They really helped me figure out my way around the entire track last weekend. We got spun out at our last race together, so I’m looking forward to improving our race experience this time around.”
Rounding out the LFR Driver Development Group line-up will be Riley Herbst. The 16-year-old driver from Las Vegas, Nev. previously ran at Hickory Motor Speedway last October with the team in one of his first Super Late Model races. Herbst started that race 10th and finished 11th, and looks to do even better this time around.
“I feel that I have a lot more momentum coming into Hickory this time around,” Herbst stated. “We ran really well there last year and this year I have a lot more experience and knowledge of the track. We got caught up in someone else’s mess at Dillon Motor Speedway earlier this month, so I’m looking forward to a little bit of redemption this weekend.”
The Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway is scheduled to go green on Saturday, March 26. Fans can keep up with the team’s weekend by visiting LFR Chassis on Facebook or on Twitter via @LFRChassis. Fans can also follow each driver on Twitter for updates via @ChristianEckes, @TannerGray5 and @RileyHerbst.
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