Chad Finchum celebrates in victory lane after scoring the NASCAR Late Model Stock Car victory on Friday night at Kingsport Speedway. Photo: Kingsport Speedway Media
It’s not that Chad Finchum hadn’t been running out front at any point this season in contention for a win, because he’s led several laps in the three races he’s ran at Tennessee’s Kingsport Speedway.
But on Friday night, the 22-year-old Knoxville, Tennessee speedster finally sealed the deal and captured his first NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock Car victory in the Model City.
Finchum set fast-time in qualifying at 15.099 seconds to narrowly edge out Wayne Hale’s quick-lap at 15.106. The roll of the dice produced an invert of the top three qualifiers for the feature, thus placing Ronnie McCarty and Hale on the front row for the 60-lap main event.
Hale jumped out to the lead over Kres VanDyke, McCarty, Finchum and Zeke Shell on the opening lap. The race’s first caution waved just three laps in when Luke Sorrow spun between turns one and two, with Nik Williams, Darin Silver and Jamie Harrison each getting involved.
On the restart, VanDyke moved into the lead over Hale, Finchum, McCarty and Robbie Ferguson. Finchum passed Hale for second place on lap 5, and set his sights ahead on leader VanDyke.
Finchum closed to VanDyke’s back bumper and got a strong run off the bottom exiting the fourth turn onto front straightaway on lap 8 to pull alongside. They battled for the lead side-by-side for several laps before Finchum pulled ahead on lap 13.
Caution waved on lap 15 when Shell suddenly slowed on the backstretch and stopped between turns three and four with right-front brake/wheel hub assembly issues, which would end his race prematurely.
On the ensuing restart, Finchum chose the inside with VanDyke on outside. With the field racing down into the first turn, Finchum took VanDyke up the track and powered into the lead racing off the second corner. Behind Finchum and VanDyke in the running order were McCarty, Ferguson and Hale.
With a clear view out front, Finchum was setting a blistering pace around the .375-mile banked concrete oval and began putting some distance between himself and closest challengers VanDyke and McCarty. At the midway distance of the race Finchum held a half-straightaway advantage over the pair, with McCarty pressuring VanDyke for the second spot.
Ferguson began to fade, losing positions to Hale, Williams and Joey Trent to fall back to seventh in the running order. With Finchum in control leading the field, McCarty worked his way past VanDyke for second place on lap 40. But McCarty was never able to separate himself from VanDyke as the laps began to count down.
Finchum received the white flag holding a 10 car-length lead over McCarty and VanDyke. Racing up off turn two, VanDyke got to the inside of McCarty and at end of the backstretch entering the third corner the cars were side-by-side. VanDyke emerged from the battle with McCarty holding the second position, while McCarty was left sitting sideways in middle of the track off exit of the fourth turn as he spun, with drivers behind him forced into evasive moves to avoid hitting McCarty.
Finchum took the checkered flag for the victory over VanDyke, and with the precarious situation involving McCarty’s car sitting sideways on the front straightaway the yellow flag waved to freeze the field, with Hale third, Williams fourth and Trent in fifth.
Ferguson, Derrick Lancaster, Derek Lane, Sorrow and McCarty rounded out the top ten.
In other action, Royce Peters recorded his second Modified Street victory of the season when apparent winner Kevin Wolfe’s car failed post-race technical inspection. Paul Shull moved to second, with Jared Broadbent third, Rusty Clendenin fourth and Dennis Deese fifth.
Was the winner in the Pure 4 feature, with John Ketron in second, Billy Ketron in third, William Hale in fourth and Craig Phelps in fifth.
Kevin Canter and David Brown battled for the lead during the Mod 4 feature, with Canter coming away with his fourth consecutive victory. Brown settled for second, with Jerry Miller third, Chris Amburgey fourth and Hershell Robinette fifth.
Doug Austin outran Jamie Meadows to capture his second Pure Street feature win of the season. Jay Swecker, Stacey Castle and Peter Alley rounded out the top five.
Clynis Phillips won the Mountain Empire Vintage Racing feature over William Jones, with Dicky Mooney in third, Jeremy Mullins in fourth and Calvin Crabtree in fifth.
Action returns to Kingsport Speedway on Friday, June 2. Visit NewKingsportSpeedway.com.
Kingsport Speedway – Kingsport, TN
Race Results – May 26, 2017
NASCAR Late Model Stock Cars
1. Chad Finchum #19
2. Kres VanDyke #15
3. Wayne Hale #19
4. Nik Williams #32
5. Joey Trent #26
6. Robbie Ferguson #40
7. Derrick Lancaster #25
8. Derek Lane #28
9. Luke Sorrow #9
10. Ronnie McCarty #5
11. David Strong #53
12. Darin Silver #12
13. Mardy Roberts #4
14. Billy Light #8
15. Rick Pannell #33
16. Zeke Shell #50
17. Jamie Harrison #76
18. Allen Hawkins #14
19. Austin Peters #66
20. Sam Hurd #44
21. Danny Casteel #41
Modified Street
1. Royce Peters #42
2. Paul Shull #48
3. Jared Broadbent #74
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5. Dennis Deese #24
6. Sam Hurd #11
7. Bruce Crumbley #33
8. Duke Bare #52
9. Alan Rich #03
10. Chris Tunnell #6
11. Mark Christian #43
DQ: Kevin Wolfe #17
Pure 4
1 Kenny Absher #11
2. John Ketron #27
3. Billy Ketron #26
4. William Hale #47
5. Craig Phelps #00
6. Kevin Darnell #4
7. Chad Jeffers #38
8. Trey Lane #7
9. Jimmy Thomas #14
10. Josh Collins #77
11. Tim Young #13
12. David Trent #57
13. Bobby Dublin #7
14. Alexcia Ray #99
15. Robert Smith #1
16. Bucky Smith #99
17. Levi Cox #18
18. Larry Stapleton #15
19. Paul Stanley #40
20. Billy Byington #11
21. Jason Ketron #28
22. Jason Francis #6
23. Cody Curtis #18
24. Richard Quillen #13
25. Brandon Sutherland #5
DNS: Ben Barker #54
Mod 4
1. Kevin Canter #3
2. David Brown #88
3. Jerry Miller #01
4. Chris Amburgey #17
5. Hershell Robinette #9
6. Jessie Amburgey #7
7. Billy Duty #1
8. Ted Glover Jr. #03
Pure Street
1. Doug Austin #18
2. Jamie Meadows #11
3. Jay Swecker #77
4. Stacey Castle #11
5. Peter Alley #7
6. Bobby Talbert #67
7. Jeremy Draughn #7
8. Virgil Young #13
Moutain Empire Vintage Racing
1. Clynis Phillips #8
2. William Jones #8
3. Dicky Mooney #24
4. Jeremy Mullins #06
5. Calvin Crabtree #16
6. Jackson Austin #11
7. Wayne Mullins #60
8. Nick Harrison #6
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