KNOXVILLE, TN :: Reigning Kingsport Speedway champion Chad Finchum is setting his sights on a bigger prize in 2014. By virtue of winning the Kingsport track championship, Finchum also won the Tennessee State Championship in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series (NWAAS). This year, he feels he can win the NWAAS National Championship.
Finchum will chase the national title by racing at three NASCAR sanctioned tracks – Kingsport Speedway in Tennessee, Lonesome Pine Raceway in Coeburn, Virginia and Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Virginia.
“Our ultimate goal is to win the National Championship,” Finchum said. “I don’t know if Lonesome Pine will bring the car count we need to do that. If they don’t we’ll improvise, but right now the plan is to run the full season at the Pine.”
Last season, Finchum’s goal was to win the Kingsport Speedway track championship and he did just that. He scored his first win in the season opener at Kingsport and won six more races en route to the track championship. His success last year gives him confidence this year.
“I think we can win this National Championship,” Finchum remarked. “Last year was a groundbreaker for us because it was my first full season in the NASCAR Series and we accomplished something that other teams have been trying for four years in the same series. I really feel like we can get this National Championship. This is our year. But we have to go to tracks that have a sustained car count.”
Along with racing in Saturday’s opener at Kingsport Speedway, Finchum’s hoping to get some laps in at Lonesome Pine Raceway before racing there next month.
“I’ve never been to Lonesome Pine in a Late Model,” Finchum explained. “It was in 2008 when I ran the Pro Challenge Race and we finished second. I don’t remember the track that well. I’ve seen video clips of the track. I know Ryan Stiltner will be tough to beat. He’s won everything there was to win there. When we unload, our eyes are on Stiltner – what’s he running. We’ve got to beat him. I think our team’s capable of winning at any track in any series. We’ve got to have enough practice there just like in 2013, I never raced at Kingsport, and we went there in January and February and were testing every week. That really helped. I’d say without that, the championship was possible but more laps you run, the easier it is.”
Finchum’s season will begin on Saturday, March 29th with the season opener at Kingsport Speedway. Racing begins at 3pm. RACE22.com will have live interactive coverage of the race. The season opener at Lonesome Pine Raceway is set for Saturday, April 12th. The season opener at Motor Mile Speedway is set for Saturday, April 26th.
