Rick Eckert
Hometown: York, PA
Birthday: Dec. 14, 1965
Marital Status: Married (Kristal)
Children: Daughter Courtney (18)
Car: No. 24 Raye Vest Excavating/J&J Steel GRT
Car Owner: Raye Vest
Website: www.rickeckertracing.com 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Stats:
Events: 45
Starts: 44
Wins: 0
Top 5: 12
Top 10: 27
Fast Times: 0
Heat Wins: 2
B-Main Wins: 5
Points Standings Finish: 5th (-232)
Total Season Earnings: $111,810
WoO LMS History: Made several appearances with the first incarnation of the WoO LMS (1988-89)… Signed as one of original 12 contract drivers when World Racing Group restarted WoO LMS in 2004… Recorded first career tour win on April 24, 2004, at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway. With victory in next event – April 30 at Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, Tenn. – he became first driver in trail’s WRG-era to register back-to-back victories… Won five times and finished third in points in ’04, remaining in contention for the title through the final night of the season… Scored two wins (at Iowa’s Farley Speedway and Pennsy’s Tri-City Speedway) and finished fourth in the 2005 point standings… Led all drivers in 2006 with eight victories, but all came in season’s first 17 events. Faltered over final 13 races and finished seventh in points standings… Enjoyed one of the greatest hot streaks in WoO LMS history in 2006, scoring his eight wins in a span of just 13 races. Won four A-Mains in a row to establish a tour consecutive-win record… Was uncharacteristically winless in 2007 – the only driver among the top 10 in the points standings to go without a victory, and his first winless season on the tour. But he had five runner-up finishes and dropped out of only one race, helping him to a fifth-place finish in the points standings… Ended 2007 on a 57-race winless streak… One of only two drivers (Steve Francis is the other) to start all 154 A-Mains contested in tour’s WRG-era (2004-2007)… Ranked second behind Scott Bloomquist on the WoO LMS’s WRG-era win list, with 15 victories. His total ranks third on the alltime tour win list behind Billy Moyer (32) and Bloomquist (17)…
Other Racing History: Celebrated his 25th anniversary as a race car driver in 2006… Raced a 410 Sprint Car near his central Pennsylvania home before opting to concentrate on dirt Late Models… Dominated dirt Late Model action at Pennsy’s Bedford and Lincoln speedways from 1989-1992, winning three straight titles at Lincoln (’89-’91) and four in-a-row at Bedford (’89-’92)… Won championship of UDTRA/Xtreme DirtCar Series in 2001 and 2002… Scored first ‘crown jewel’ dirt Late Model event victory in 1999, capturing the $100,000 ‘Dream’ at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway… Also pocketed a $100,000 check for winning the UDTRA Great Northern Challenge in 2002… Other major wins include the 2004 Dirt Track World Championship at Bluegrass (Ky.) Speedway; National 100 at East Alabama Motor Speedway (2004 and 2005); 2005 Scorcher 100 at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn.; 2002 Masters 100 at Cedar Lake (Wis.) Speedway; 2000 STARS/Renegade Fall Nationals at Florida’s East Bay Raceway Park; 2000 Winchester 200; and Hub-City 150 at Hagerstown Speedway (1994-95)… Competed in selected ARCA superspeedway events during the late ‘90s… Made crew changes in 2007 after pre-season departure of longtime crew chief Robby Allen. Also made a pre-season change to MasterSbilt Chassis after ending extended run behind the wheel of Rocket Chassis cars, then switched to GRT Chassis in August… Had two wins away from WoO LMS in 2007 (at Pa.’s Williams Grove Speedway and Delaware International Speedway)… Has spent the past 12 years driving for Maryland car owner Raye Vest, who received an ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Sport’ award at the 2007 WoO LMS Awards Banquet…
Interesting Facts: Comes from a big racing family. His father, Junior, was a popular dirt-track racer in Pennsylvania; his sister, Candy, enjoyed several successful seasons as a Street Stock driver in the ‘80s; and now his teenage nephew, Cody Darrah, is making a name for himself in central Pennsylvania Sprint Car competition… His nickname is ‘Scrub.’… His daughter started her freshman year at Millersville (Pa.) University in 2007…