The busiest day of 19-year-old Chad Finley’s career was on Friday, June 17th as the day started off at the Two-Mile Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan for the NASCAR Nationwide
Series and ended with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour event, the Dixie 100 Presented by JEGS.com at Dixie Motor Speedway in Birch Run, Michigan.
On Friday afternoon at MIS, Finley was hoping to shake down his #25 Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper Parts Stores & Certified Service Centers Ford for Team Rensi Motorsports (TRM). After timing in 27th fastest out of the 46 entries in the first session, the DeWitt, Michigan driver was turning laps in the second session and was up to 17th when the car suddenly got away from him and Finley ended up smacking the turn four wall hard. He was ok, but the car was done for the weekend and Finley’s NASCAR Nationwide Series debut will now be on September 17th at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.
“It was not the weekend we had hoped for in the Nationwide car. We were working on it and making some very nice gains as we were pretty tight in the early going. Then she just broke loose on me in the middle of turns three and four and I ended up in the wall,” Explained Finley. “I just feel terrible for TRM and all our sponsors. Everyone on the team worked very hard for me to make this all happen. They were very supportive afterwards and that meant a lot. Good group here and that’s what I need”
The crash forced Finley and the TRM crew to withdraw from the Alliance Truck Parts 250, which was won the next day by Carl Edwards. “We will get there as a team though,” Continued the 19-year-old driver. “I felt like we worked together very well and I learned a lot in our time in the car. “We’ll just hold our heads up high and start over again.” Finley stated.
After the incident, Finley and his Father, Michigan Motorsports Hall of Famer, Jeff Finley made the two hour trip north to Dixie, located north of Flint, Michigan for the third JEGS/CRA race of the season. After getting to the track to late to practice, Finley relied on his experience on the 4/10s (0.400) mile progressively banked d-shaped paved oval to lock into the field seventh quick out of 25 cars and when Keyser Manufacturing Fast Qualifier, 15-year-old Erik Jones drew a seven for the inversion, Finley would start the 100-lap main from the pole.
“The JEGS/CRA car was really good. Got there just in time to Qualify and put her seventh. I have to thank Leo Smith for his help practicing the car for me.” He continued. Finley would lead the first 12 laps before eventual winner, Eddie Hoffman, the current series point’s leader, got by on lap 13. After contact late
in the race between Hoffman and Jones who were battling for the lead with just three laps to go, Finley slid by Jones and offered up a late challenge to Hoffman, but in the end settled for his second straight podium finish in JEGS/CRA competition with a second place showing.
“We led some laps and got her home second with a chance to win. Sure picked my spirits up from the day I just had at MIS that’s for sure.” He smiled. “I need to thank all of the crew with the CFR team. They’re a great bunch of people to work with and that’s what it takes. We’ll win one of these JEGS/CRA races before too long.” He ended.
The next JEGS/CRA race equals a trip back to Anderson Speedway in Anderson, Indiana for the rescheduled Anderson 100 Presented by JEGS.com on Saturday, July 9th. Keyser Manufacturing Qualifying was already completed back on June 4th, but Mother Nature intervened and pushed the race to July 9th. Back on June 4th, Finley Qualified 12th and will start the race from the outside of the sixth row.
Heading into Anderson, Finley is now sitting third in the series point’s standings, just 19 markers back of Jones who is in second. Hoffman is the point’s leader and holds down a 10-point lead on Jones and a 29-point advantage over Finley who has an eight point lead over fourth place Claude Plante Jr. (304-294-275-266).
Sporting decals on the side of the NASCAR Nationwide Series machine, the #25 Team Rensi Motorsports Ford are; Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper Parts Stores & Certified Service Centers, who have over 5000 locations throughout North America offering quality auto parts and first class dependable service. Also supporting Finley’s NASCAR Nationwide Series debut are the Airlift Company, Rain Eater Wiper Blades, and AutoParts2020.com.
As for his JEGS/CRA machine and for the remainder of the 2011 racing season, Finley’s No. 42 Howe Racing Enterprises chassis, sporting a Ford Fusion body with power from a Phil Harper Crate Engine will carry sponsorship from; Rain Eater Wiper Blades, as well as AutoParts2020.com, Auto Value / Bumper to Bumper Parts Stores & Certified Service Centers, Airlift Company, Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil, NorthsideTowing.net and M.P.H. Promotions.
Chad Finley PR
