Race Recap | HyVee Perks 250

August 2, 2025

No. 11 Benesch Chevrolet

Start: 3rd
Stage 1 Finish: 7th
Stage 2 Finish: 12th
Finish: 6th
Carson Hocevar fought a free-handling No. 11 Benesch Chevrolet during the opening stage of the race, falling to seventh, where he finished the segment. Radioing that he needed overall grip, Hocevar pitted during the stage break for tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. He maintained seventh place until a chaotic lap-95 restart saw him falling to 12th place, where he finished Stage 2. Crew chief Eddie Pardue had a plan to get the No. 11 Chevy back where it needed to be, calling Hocevar to pit for tires, fuel, air pressure, and track bar adjustments during the second stage break. When the caution flag waved on lap 138, Pardue gambled on strategy, calling Hocevar to pit again, before restarting 24th. The gamble paid off, as Hocevar gained 10 spots on the restart. He methodically moved through the field and was back inside the top 10 by lap 183. When the caution flag came out on lap 201, Hocevar pitted for his final set of sticker tires, before continuing to drive through the top 10. He went on to finish sixth.

“We had a really solid outing today. After qualifying third, we kind of lost the handling a little bit during the race, but we were able to get it back to where we needed it and finished sixth. It was a really fun day with this No. 11 group. A big thanks to Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice, and everyone at Kaulig Racing for putting this deal together quickly.”

– Carson Hovevar

No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet

Start: 25th
Stage 1 Finish: 14th
Stage 2 Finish: 14th
Finish: 10th
Despite firing off too free in the No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet, Eckes was one of the biggest movers in the opening laps, gaining 10 spots and into the top 15 by lap 15. As the stage went on, he began clicking off top-five lap times, before finishing the stage in 14th. Eckes radioed to the team that he needed a little more rear stability, before pitting for tires, fuel, and air pressure adjustments. Eckes’ No. 16 continued to build free at the start of Stage 2, and he fell to 18th before a caution came out on lap 89. On the restart, Eckes gained four spots and went on to finish the second stage in 14th. During the second stage break, crew chief Alex Yontz made the call to pit for tires, fuel, and rear air pressure adjustments to help tighten up the No. 16 Chevy. Eckes started the final stage in 13th place. Eckes sat 11th when a caution came out on lap 138, and Yontz made the strategic call to pit for tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment. Eckes restarted 22nd with just over 100 laps remaining and worked his way into the top 15, before the caution flag fell on lap 201. While under caution, Eckes pitted for his final set of tires. Making it as high as seventh place during the final stint, Eckes went on to finish 10th, earning his ninth top-10 finish of the season.

“It was an up and down day that resulted in a pretty good top 10. We were just kind of all over the board, fighting really loose and then really tight throughout the first two stages. Fortunately, everybody on this No. 16 team did a great job of trying to get our Celsius Camaro as good as we could here. I think we still have some work to do, but we’re getting closer for sure.”

– Christian Eckes

No. 10 Champion Container Chevrolet

Start: 10th
Stage 1 Finish: 8th
Stage 2 Finish: 16th
Finish: 36th
During the opening laps of the HyVee Perks 250, Daniel Dye gained several spots, before settling into eighth place, where he finished the stage. A pit-road mishap caused Dye to lose multiple spots, as he started the second stage from 15th place. Firing off too free in the second segment, Dye fell as far as 18th place, before the No. 10 Chevy began coming to him. He went on to finish the second stage in 16th place. Dye pitted during the second stage break for tires, fuel, and another round of adjustments. After starting the final stage in 16th place, Dye made it up to 11th place, before a blown right-front tire sent him into the wall. His race ended early, and he was relegated to 36th place.

“We had a really good No. 10 Champion Container Chevy all day. We made up a lot of ground after losing some track position in our first pit stop. I was getting ready to pass for 10th, until we blew a right front tire. Not how we want to finish after running so well, but we will move on and get ready for Watkins Glen.”

– Daniel Dye