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Cornelius News

Christian Eckes is off to the races

Christian’s sponsors include Toyota Racing and Stock Car Steel

By Dave Vieser. Cornelius resident Christian Eckes, a high school 12th grader, is busy working towards a very bright future in racing…a career he began when he was just 9 years old.

Since breaking onto the national scene in 2015,​ young Eckes has joined a talented pool of young drivers who will likely reach the highest levels of stock car racing. Back in October, he turned in a strong performance, finishing third behind the wheel of his Fury Race Cars prepared Super Late Model Toyota in ​the All-American 400 at the Fairgrounds Nashville Speedway.

He trains regularly and travels the country to race throughout the year​, which means the logistics of schooling is about as hard as calculus. He is an online student at George Washington University Online High School.

​He said the  flexibility which studying online provides is a “tremendous help” with his hectic schedule. His ​sister Erica, a senior at George Washington University, told him about the online school and “everything just came together” at the for-profit online high school.

The Eckes family moved to The Peninsula in 2016, putting Christian in the heart of race country. His parents Darlene and George are school bus entrepreneurs from New York.

Eckes has already picked up a number of sponsors, including Toyota Racing, and Stock Car Steel. Last year, he was also part of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports team and this year he was named a Toyota Development Driver.

Last year he won the Myrtle Beach 400 at Myrtle Beach Speedway, the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park and the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway Christian hopes to attend UNC-Charlotte.