Finchum flexes muscle to record second Kingsport Speedway NASCAR Whelen All-American Series victory
By Robert Walden
Kingsport Speedway Media/Public Relations
KINGSPORT, Tenn. (June 14) — The Kingsport Speedway racing community gathered Friday
with sad hearts to remember fallen racer Tony Ward, who unexpectedly at
age 49 passed away last Saturday after suffering an apparent heart
attack. Ward, from Kingsport and who competed for many years in the
Street Stock division at “The Concrete Jungle,” in his final race the
previous night had finished in ninth-place.
In NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series “Dalton Direct Carpets” Late Model Stock qualifying
on Texas Roadhouse Night at the Races in the Model City, Chad Finchum of
Knoxville flirted with getting into the 14-second bracket with a lap of
15.085 to earn fast-time honors.
With the top four from
qualifying inverted, Daniel Pope II and Zeke Shell led the 20-car field
to green from the front row. Over the opening 12 circuits the duo raced
around the .375-miled banked concrete oval side-by-side, with Finchum on
their rear bumper waiting to see which driver cleared the other to move
into the lead before he could attempt to make a move get to the front.
Caution waved on lap 12, when Erika Schmidt got into the wall following contact from another car to prematurely end her race.
Pope and Shell were lined up door-to-door for the double-file restart.
After going back green, Pope cleared Shell to take the lead. Finchum
soon got around Shell into the second spot, and in a couple of laps
passed Pope to take a lead he would never relinquish.
Once out
front the 18-year-old Finchum, driving the A-1 Finchum Heating &
Cooling/Texas Roadhouse/Finchum Paint & Body/Creekside Grill &
Catering/Embassy Suites Concord/Brickyard Bar-b-Que in Powell/Loveland
Baptist Church/Robbie White Race Engines/Leavitt Race Cars/No. 19
Chevrolet SS, cruised to his second feature win of the season over Pope,
Lee Tissot, Kres VanDyke and Derrick Lancaster.
Completing the top 10 finishers were Blake Jones, Shell, Paul Nogradi Jr., Austin Peters and Robbie Ferguson.
With the victory, Finchum (321) now holds a 10-point lead in Late Model
Stock points over VanDyke (311), with Shell (310) and Pope (309) all in
contention to challenge for a track championship as the season
progresses.
John Harrell, from Surgoinsville and driving the
MWH Construction/Castle’s Customs Muffler & Paint//Mark’s Auto
Parts/Perfection Plus Painting/Outlaw Graphics/J.D. Light Race
Engines/No. 19 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, was quickest in Street Stock
qualifying with a fast-lap of 16.411 seconds.
With the top four
from time trials inverted for start of the 30-lap race, Royce Peters
grabbed the early lead over point leader Rob Austin. Over the past few
races Peters has led laps and is contending to get his first win on the
season.
But Harrell got up on the wheel to overtake both
Austin and Peters en route to capturing his division-leading sixth
victory. Harrell was trailed at the finish by Jason Leatherwood, Austin,
Peters and Nick Cole.
Jason Ketron of Kingsport, driving the
Sagebrush Steakhouse in Kingsport/K & K Auto/No. 28 Honda, moved
into a tie for most Pure 4 feature wins this season with his father,
John Ketron. The 17-year-old Sullivan North High School student held his
father, John Ketron, off to record his fifth victory. Finishing third
through fifth, respectively, were Kenny Absher, Jimmy Hillard and Chris
Neeley.
Brandon Byington of Kingsport, behind the wheel of the
Toy Auto/Kenny Absher Racing/No. 11 Toyota Celica, parked in victory
lane for the second time this season. He was chased to the checkers by
Brandon Sutherland, Chris Steadman, Billy Taylor and Bruce Crumbley.
NASCAR WHELEN ALL-AMERICAN SERIES “DALTON DIRECT CARPETS” LATE MODEL STOCK (60 laps)
Showing Finish Position, Starting Position In Parentheses, Driver Name, Car Number, Hometown, Laps Completed In Parentheses
1. (4) Chad Finchum #19-Knoxville, TN (60)
2. (1) Daniel Pope II #16-Smyrna, TN (60)
3. (5) Lee Tissot #7-Asheville, NC (60)
4. (6) Kres VanDyke #15-Claypool Hill, VA (60)
5. (8) Derrick Lancaster #25-Christiansburg, VA (60)
6. (7) Blake Jones #80-Sevierville, TN (60)
7. (2) Zeke Shell #97-Johnson City, TN (60)
8. (3) Paul Nogradi Jr. #02-Clinton, TN (60)
9. (12) Austin Peters #66-Kingsport, TN (60)
10. (14) Robbie Ferguson #32-Jonesborough, TN (60)
11. (10) Tyler Goodwin #64-Kingsport, TN (60)
12. (11) Royce Peters #38-Kingsport, TN (59)
13. (13) Allen Hawkins #14-Kingsport, TN (59)
14. (15) Joey Trent #26-Gray, TN (59)
15. (18) Rick Pannell #33-Kingsport, TN (58)
16. (19) Dean Barrett #82-Abingdon, VA (57)
17. (20) Jamie Harrison #76-Church Hill, TN (56)
18. (17) Justin Wright #21-Kingsport, TN (44)
19. (16) Erika Schmidt #14-Greenback, TN (12)
20. (9) Ronnie McCarty #5-Kingsport, TN (1)
STREET STOCK (30 laps)
1) John Harrell #19; 2) Jason Leatherwood #29; 3) Rob Austin #25; 4)
Royce Peters #48; 5) Nick Cole #63; 6) Chris Tunnell #6; 7) Jared
Broadbent #74; 8) Nasty Jones #13; 9) Steve Sims #10
PURE 4 (20 laps)
1) Jason Ketron #28; 2) John Ketron #26; 3) Kenny Absher #11; 4) Jimmy
Hillard #74; 5) Chris Neeley #94; 6) Dylan Bates #6; 7) Derek Penley
#38; 8) David Trent #57; 9) Tim Abelseth #96; 10) Alton Satterfield #95;
11) Todd Cross #41; 12) Shawn Peters #84; 13) Steve Skeen #17; 14)
Billy Ketron #27
ROOKIE PURE 4 (17 laps)
1) Brandon
Byington #11; 2) Brandon Sutherland #22; 3) Chris Steadman #14; 4) Billy
Taylor #75; 5) Bruce Crumbley #8; 6) Billy Byington #11; 7) Mook Jeter
#53; 8) Jay Swecker #95; 9) Jon Pittman #96; 10) Sam Manis II #06; 11)
Tammy Cross #41; 12) Allen Qualls #27; 13) Jonathan Faris #14; 14) James
Reece #25
