Chad Finchum leaves Texas with a career best and best finish of 2019 season

By Sarah Handy, Staff Writer

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Chad Finchum headed into Saturday evening’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway with a season best finish of 19th at Phoenix Raceway; however, after 200 grueling laps Finchum not only would leave Texas besting that spot by four positios but also post a career-best at the 1.5-mile track.

Finchum qualified his Amana/Smithbilt Homes Toyota to a 28th starting position on the grid but with about 30 to 40 laps into the 200-lap event, his power steering went out.

But the problems didn’t end there. Finchum and his MBM Motorsports team fought through a multitude of adversity from the power steering issue to a flat tire and were still able to finish both the first and second stage in the Top-25, finishing 23rd, respectively, in both stages and avoiding any of the on-track incidents that saw the caution flag fly nine times Saturday evening.

When the checkered flag flew, Finchum was credited with 15th, a personal best at Texas Motor Speedway and the second best finish of his NASCAR Xfinity Series career.

Checkered flag. 15th! #oreilly300 #supra @Amana_HVAC @smithbilthomes @mbmmotorsports @txmotorspeedway @xfinityracing

— Chad Finchum (@ChadFinchum) November 3, 2019

“Power steering went out on lap 30 or 40, fought that for many, many laps. We had the fuel neck come off, we had a flat right front,” Finchum said. “We dealt and overcame everything I think that’s possible tonight. We were on pit road about as much as we were on the race track tonight. P15, we did exactly what we came to do which was to top our best finish here which was last year here, 17th.”

Finchum’s 15th place finish provides momentum heading into next Saturday’s Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 200 at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, the track that held Finchum’s best season finish of 17th until last night’s event concluded.

“It’s hard to put into words, anytime you struggle you want to be able to overcome it and we did, what a night I was,” Finchum said. “Thank God for keeping us safe, and everything’s bigger in Texas and we were able to do it!”