Eckes grew up in Greenville, New York, and began racing Legends Cars at age thirteen, later moving to late model stock cars and super late models. In 2015, he joined the driver development program for LFR Chassis and raced late models for JR Motorsports. He made his ARCA Racing Series debut in April 2016 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway with Venturini Motorsports, finishing eighth. That year, he also made his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut and won the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway, defeating John Hunter Nemechek.
Eckes continued with Venturini Motorsports, racing part-time in the ARCA Racing Series in 2017 and 2018. He earned his first series victory at Salem Speedway in April 2018, holding off teammate Chandler Smith. He secured two more wins that year at Illinois State Fairgrounds and Indianapolis Raceway Park. In 2019, Eckes embarked on a full-time ARCA Menards Series campaign. Despite missing a race at Salem due to an esophageal tear, he won the championship with four wins, thirteen top-fives, and seventeen top-tens in nineteen starts. He was the first ARCA champion since Tim Steele in 1997 to not run every race.
Eckes debuted in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2018, driving the No. 46 for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) in four races, leading 38 laps and securing three top-ten finishes. In 2019, he ran eight races in KBM's No. 51 truck, contributing to the team's seventh owners' championship with three top-five finishes, including a third place at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
For the 2020 season, Eckes drove KBM's No. 18 truck full-time. He achieved five top-five finishes, including runner-up results at Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, and Michigan International Speedway, qualifying for the playoffs. He was eliminated after the first round, finishing eighth in the standings. In 2021, Eckes moved to ThorSport Racing, sharing the No. 98 truck with Grant Enfinger for ten races. He claimed his first Truck Series victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, besting Todd Gilliland on a late restart. He returned to a full-time schedule with ThorSport in 2022, driving the No. 98 and finishing eighth in the standings with fifteen top-tens.
In 2023, Eckes joined McAnally–Hilgemann Racing to drive the No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado RST. He recorded four wins that season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Kansas Speedway, and Phoenix Raceway. He finished fifth in the final points standings. The 2024 season saw Eckes win at Bristol Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, and Nashville Superspeedway, and claim the regular season championship. He reached the Championship 4, finishing third in the standings behind Corey Heim and champion Ty Majeski, despite a controversial late-race encounter with Taylor Gray at Martinsville.
Eckes is scheduled to move to the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time in 2025, driving the No. 16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing. He is also set to return to the Truck Series full-time in 2026 for McAnally–Hilgemann Racing in the No. 91 entry.
Christian Eckes was born on November 10, 2000, to George and Darlene Eckes. He has an older sister, Erica, and attended George Washington University Online High School.
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