STATESVILLE, N.C. — McAnally-Hilgemann Racing and Christian Eckes will turn back the clock to the 1950s for NASCAR’s Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway on May 10.
The defending NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series winner at “The Lady in Black” will feature a throwback paint scheme to recognize one of the sport’s pioneers, Brownie King.
Eckes’ No. 19 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST will replicate King’s 1957 Chevrolet that he drove in NASCAR competition in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
King, a current resident of Johnson City, Tenn., was one of the few drivers to compete on the sands of Daytona Beach and in the inaugural 1959 Daytona 500. His daughter and son-in-law Debbie and Jeff Moore currently own a NAPA Auto Care located in Johnson City, Tenn., Gray Tire & Automotive.
The Moore’s shop lobby doubles as a chronicle of King’s driving career and displays numerous photos from races on the Daytona Beach shores to Darlington and Bristol Motor Speedway. King is a living racing legend in Eastern Tennessee and is a former BMS track champion from the track’s infancy in the early 1960s.
“This is a great honor,” King said. “I appreciate what the MHR team has done and am really excited for this. Christian is a great aggressive driver, and the truck looks amazing. It looks really similar to the Chevy I raced at Darlington in 1957. I wish I was able to be at the race, but we’ll be watching on TV and hoping Christian can get the win.”
“It’s a thrill for us to honor a pioneer of our sport like Brownie,” team owner Bill McAnally said. “It’s an honor for us to run his colors with Gates Hydraulics as a ‘thank you’ for his contributions to the sport and to Jeff and Debbie Moore for their strong relationship with NAPA. It’s a treat to tie everything together and we’d love to see Christian pull Brownie’s paint scheme into victory lane again at Darlington.”