Christian Eckes entered the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, not only as a rising star but also with a major career boost: his full-time deal with Kaulig Racing to drive the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro was announced in late August 2024, and the move came with Kaulig’s commitment and rookie of the year ambitions. And so Christian arrived at Daytona International Speedway confident, determined, and ready to make his mark.

He rolled off ninth on the grid, a strong starting spot that underlined both Kaulig’s faith in his potential and his own readiness to run up front. But Daytona unpredictability caught up with him when a multicar crash erupted. Caught in the chaos, Christian saw his promising night come to a sudden end. And when it was over, he didn’t hesitate to point fingers.

Christian Eckes reveals who is to blame amid The Big One

Christian Eckes started the night with a solid pace and kept himself in contention through the opening stages of the race. In Stage 2, he was a consistent presence near the front, ultimately finishing third behind Justin Allgaier and Jesse Love, picking up valuable stage points in the process. Through the midsection of the race, Eckes navigated pit staff cycles effectively, staying within the lead pack. He emerged from a lap 32 pit sequence running in competitive track acquisition, lining up behind front-runners like Sam Mayer and Aric Almirola as the race entered its second half. Eckes also managed to avoid an earlier incident, including the lap 30 caution triggered by Carson Kvapil and Taylor Gray, which collected multiple cars. Visibility to steer clear of trouble allowed him to remain a factor inside the top 10 to 15 as the laps wound down.

With four laps to go, the night’s biggest incident unfolded just as the field exited the tri-oval. The chain reaction began when Ryan Sieg was turned by Leland Honeyman, sending Ryan’s car sideways in front of oncoming traffic. With the field running tightly packed, there was little room for avoidance, and several drivers were caught up in the chaos. Christian Eckes, unfortunately, was among those collected in the wreck. Running mid-pack at the time, Eckes had limited visibility as the incident developed ahead. By the time Ryan’s spinning car and the scattering pack came into view, Christian was boxed in with nowhere to escape. His car was struck in the ensuing melee, sustaining damage that effectively ended his bid for a strong run.

Reflecting on the wreck post-race, Christian dropped the truth. He said, “Yeah, I have to replay, but obviously super fast campers at RV Camaro tonight thought it was more than a race winning capable. I don’t know. I think we were third. So whenever we crashed and didn’t go our way, so unfortunate, but got two more races to execute that so hopefully make it turn around.”

In total, the crash involved Daniel Dye, William Sawalich, Aric Almirola, Harrison Burton, Jeb Burton, Josh Williams, Ryan Ellis, and Matt DiBenedetto. The caution flag was immediately displayed, and the safety crews were dispatched to the scene. Throwing shade on Leyland Honeyman, who caused the wreck, Eckes further said,” I mean anytime you’re around the 70, you know there’s going to be something. So yeah, I kind of saw it coming with them switching lanes, thought I was going to get by, just kind of got clipped. So I think at least I don’t really know, I got to look at the replay. But yeah, proud of the team, proud of the effort was the best Speedway Xfinity car I had by a long shot so. Get on that.”

Amid all the caution-filled race, the JGR driver had a lot to say about it, too. However, it was a stellar night for Connor Zilsich, who clinched his seventh win of the season.

Parker Kligerman wins at Daytona for Connor Zilisch

Parker Kligerman delivered in a substitute start, taking the win at Daytona while filling in for Connor Zilisch. Kligerman got behind the wheel under caution on lap 13 and from that point on till the overtime that took the race to lap 104, Parker drove a masterful race. Kligerman only led 12 laps, but once he settled into the JR Motorsport Chevy, it was clear that he had a real shot. JR Motorsports’ equipment is top-tier, but the driver still has to execute, and Parker did just that. Almost immediately after taking from Zilisch, he was running with the leaders.

Remarkably, it marks Parker’s second technical win at Daytona this season. But just like before, postrace technicalities mean neither victory will officially be credited to him. Meanwhile, Zilisch keeps his hot streak alive. Without even finishing the race, he extended his top-five run, collected a huge haul of points, and added another win to his season tally. As for the race itself, it had the hallmarks of a Daytona showdown: late caution, multiple incidents, and plenty of drama. In the end, Parker got to live every racer’s dream, which is crossing the line 1st at Daytona. It was a banner night for the No. 88 team and for Parker, who made it happen.