American racing driver
NASCAR driver
James Chadwick Finchum [ 1] (born September 22, 1994) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving for MBM Motorsports . Finchum has also previously competed in the NASCAR Cup Series and what is now the ARCA Menards Series East .
Racing career
Early years
Finchum began racing at age seven,[ 2] starting his career racing go-karts at Dumplin Valley Raceway in Tennessee.[ 3] By age 13 he had logged 200 go-kart wins on dirt and asphalt.[ 2] He then moved to full-bodied cars, often racing late models at Kingsport Speedway in Tennessee,[ 4] [ 5] and also competed in Bandolero and Legends cars in Charlotte Motor Speedway 's Summer Shootout.[ 6] He would win the Tennessee NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship in 2010.[ 7]
NASCAR
Finchum drove his first four K&N Pro Series East races in 2011 with Lori Williams, who had given Daniel Suárez and Jesus Hernandez rides previously. Finchum scored two top-ten finishes that first year, finishing seventh at Bowman Gray Stadium and Gresham Motorsports Park .[ 8] He joined Spraker Racing in 2012, finishing seventh again at Bristol Motor Speedway but not finding success in his other three starts.[ 9] One start with Spraker in 2013 yielded a DNF at Bristol.[ 10] Finchum then started 2015 driving for his own team but then associated with Martin-McClure Racing later in the year.[ 11] In only his third start with the team, and his first in 2016, Finchum won the K&N race at Bristol.[ 12] Starting from the fourth position, Finchum passed polesitter and leader Harrison Burton thirteen laps into the race and never looked back.[ 13] In a late restart Finchum held off future NASCAR national series drivers Kyle Benjamin , Justin Haley , Kaz Grala and Todd Gilliland .[ 14] Focusing on the Xfinity Series in 2017, Finchum ran one K&N race, recording a fifth at Bristol.[ 15]
Finchum racing the No. 40 in 2018 at Road America
Finchum, in conjunction with his K&N Pro Series East team Team McClure Inc., signed on for two races with MBM Motorsports including a debut race at Dover International Speedway .[ 16] Despite falling out with engine problems at Dover, Finchum was approved for 1.5-mile tracks, yielding another start at Kentucky Speedway .[ 17] Finchum made five more starts in 2017 ranging from 1-mile Dover to 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway , cracking the top thirty three times.[ 18]
In late November 2017, Finchum was announced as the full-time driver of MBM's No. 40 entry for the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.[ 19] [ 20] He led second practice at Daytona International Speedway in July.[ 21] He finished the year 30th in final point standings.
On March 27, 2018, Finchum announced in a Bristol Motor Speedway promotional video that he would make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut at that track in April 2018.[ 22] [ 23] The run came in the No. 66 car for MBM Motorsports , whom he also drives for in the NASCAR Xfinity Series .[ 24] Bristol was a track that Finchum was especially excited to make his debut at, as he considers it a "home track".[ 25] After starting 38th, he finished 33rd when he retired from the race on lap 335.[ 26]
In 2019, Finchum surprisingly qualified 2nd for both the Rinnai 250 and the Boyd Gaming 300 after rain canceled qualifying and the field was set by owner points from the 2018 season (due to those races only being the second and third of the new season), which MBM had bought from Chip Ganassi Racing 's former Xfinity Series team. They also switched to Ganassi's old number, the No. 42, that year. That season he ran nearly full-time, only missing Daytona, which was run by John Jackson .
Finchum failed to qualify for the 2020 Daytona 500 after finishing 20th in Duel 1 of the 2020 Bluegreen Vacations Duels .[ 27] In September, he ran the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway , finishing last when overheating ended his day after 19 laps.[ 28] He also competed at Kansas and Texas , where he respectively finished 39th and 35th.[ 29]
He was due to return to the Daytona 500 the following year in the No. 13 for MBM (previously the No. 49),[ 30] [ 31] but was replaced by Garrett Smithley .[ 32] He's due to running the Ally 400 with the 66, his debut number in 2018.
On August 28, 2023, it was revealed through the entry list for the race at Darlington in September that Finchum would drive the No. 08 car for SS-Green Light Racing in that race, marking the first time he would drive for a team other than MBM Motorsports in the Xfinity Series and in NASCAR's top 3 series.
Finchum returned to MBM to drive their No. 66 car part-time in the Xfinity Series in 2024. He also made a start for Joey Gase Motorsports in the throwback weekend race at Darlington in May, running the paint scheme from Kevin Harvick 's first Cup Series win in 2001 at Atlanta , the same one Harvick himself ran the previous year in the North Wilkesboro All-Star Race with his old No. 29.[ 33]
On December 21, 2024, it was announced on a Facebook post from MBM that Finchum would drive in the Xfinity Series in 2025 at Texas .[ 34]
Personal life
Finchum graduated from Halls High School in Halls Crossroads, Tennessee .[ 35]
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(key ) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. )
Cup Series
Daytona 500
Xfinity Series
* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points
K&N Pro Series East
References
^ "Team Event Rosters – Texas Motor Speedway – Saturday, October 24, 2020" (PDF) . NASCAR . Retrieved October 23, 2020 .
^ a b Moats, Michael (April 30, 2008). "Wins pile up with races for 13-year-old Chad Finchum" . Knoxville News Sentinel . Knoxville, TN. Retrieved November 30, 2017 .
^ Gregory, Alan (March 15, 2013). "Finchum goes for dream win today" . Bristol Herald-Courier . Bristol, TN. Retrieved December 9, 2017 .
^ Marquis, Andy (June 2, 2017). "Chad Finchum Set for XFINITY Debut at Dover" . popularspeed.com . Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ Kenney, Pat (May 27, 2017). "Chad Finchum cruises to victory at Kingsport Speedway on Friday" . Kingsport Times-News . Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ "13-Year-Old Chad Finchum among the Rising Stars" . Charlotte Motor Speedway. July 28, 2008. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017 .
^ Fleser, Dan (May 31, 2017). "Knoxville's Chad Finchum to get two starts on Xfinity Series" . Knoxville News Sentinel . Knoxville, TN. Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ "Driver Chad Finchum 2011 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ "Driver Chad Finchum 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ "Driver Chad Finchum 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ "Driver Chad Finchum 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ "Driver Chad Finchum 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ King, Alanis (April 17, 2016). "Chad Finchum and Toyota dominate NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Bristol race" . Autoweek . Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ "Finchum Flies To Victory At Hometown Track" . Nascar.com . April 16, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ "Driver Chad Finchum 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ Wilson, Steven B. (May 30, 2017). "Chad Finchum to make NASCAR Xfinity Series Debut" . Speedway Digest . Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ Kaplan, Phil (July 5, 2017). "Chad Finchum to get second NASCAR Xfinity Series start in Kentucky" . Knoxville News Sentinel . Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ "Driver Chad Finchum 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ "Carl Long's 2018 plans" . Jayski's Silly Season Site . ESPN. November 24, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ Herbst, Alex (November 24, 2017). "NASCAR: MBM Motorsports announces early 2018 plans" . Beyond the Flag . Retrieved November 28, 2017 .
^ Coburn, Wesley (July 5, 2018). "Ryan Reed, Chad Finchum Lead XFINITY Practices at Daytona" . frontstretch.com . Retrieved July 5, 2018 .
^ "Chad Finchum to make Cup debut at Bristol" . ESPN.com . February 28, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018 .
^ "Chad Finchum to make Cup debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in April" . March 27, 2018. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2018 .
^ McFadin, Daniel (March 28, 2018). "Chad Finchum to make Cup debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in April" . Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2018 .
^ Alewine, Mark (March 28, 2018). "Knoxville driver Chad Finchum to make NASCAR Cup Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway" . Knoxville News Sentinel . Retrieved March 28, 2018 .
^ "2018 Food City 500" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved December 14, 2018 .
^ "Logano, Byron win Bluegreen Vacations Duel races at Daytona" . NASCAR.com . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020 .
^ Beard, Brock (September 27, 2020). "CUP: Chad Finchum's first Cup start in more than two years ends all too soon" . LASTCAR . Blogger . Retrieved February 2, 2021 .
^ a b "Chad Finchum – 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 9, 2020 .
^ "MBM Motorsports Announces Driver Line-Up for Daytona 500 and 2021 Plans" . The Racing Insiders . December 18, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2021 .
^ "MBM Motorsports to run #13 in Cup Series" . Jayski's Silly Season Site . February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021 .
^ Srigley, Joseph (February 5, 2021). "Garrett Smithley, Trophy Tractor Inc Attempting 2021 DAYTONA 500 in MBM Motorsports No. 13" . TobyChristie.com . Retrieved February 10, 2021 .
^ "(Twitter post)" . Twitter . May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024 .
^ "MBM Motorsports" . Facebook.com . December 21, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2024 .
^ Sports, WVLT. "Knoxville native Chad Finchum loves racing at 'home track' " . wvlt.tv .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2018 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 26, 2021 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved June 29, 2024 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 9, 2017 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 1, 2018 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 19, 2019 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 9, 2020 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 27, 2021 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 24, 2022 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved May 31, 2023 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 13, 2024 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2011 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 1, 2018 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 1, 2018 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 1, 2018 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 1, 2018 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 1, 2018 .
^ "Chad Finchum – 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 1, 2018 .
External links
Personnel NASCAR Xfinity Series
Former drivers Former personnel Related teams Formerly known as Joey Gase Racing and Emerling-Gase Motorsports
Personnel NASCAR Xfinity Series
Former personnel
Gene Christensen
Jeff Lefcourt
Ken Smith
Steve Urvan
Former drivers Partnerships and affiliations