Finchum admitted there were times over the past few years of his career when he doubted he’d ever get a big break at the NASCAR national level.
“Coming from grassroots racing, running late models around the Southeast … there were times where I thought that maybe I wouldn’t ever get my shot or have that kind of an opportunity,” said Finchum. “Granted, I was still enjoying what I was doing, but there were definitely moments where I was a little down and a little devastated thinking about if I would catch the right opportunity.”
That break finally came last June, when Finchum debuted in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Long’s MBM Motorsports team at Dover Int’l Speedway. He made seven starts with the team last year before upping the ante to run full time in the No. 40 Toyota this season.
The move to full-time status has brought a lot more consistency to Finchum’s plate this year, as he’s begun to adapt to many new challenges that he didn’t have at the short track level.
“Man, there’s been a lot of new things for me, between live pit stops, longer races, stage racing, the cars, the tracks I’ve never been to, the higher speeds … it’s a lot of newness and a lot to learn,” Finchum said. “I had a lot of stuff thrown at me that I wasn’t used to and I still feel like I’m trying to soak in a lot here early on.”
“Jumping into a Cup car – even for just this one race – is going to be a challenge, because it’s just one more new thing that I’m having to learn on the fly, but I’m honored to have the opportunity.”
The Bristol race weekend will mark the first time in Finchum’s career that he has ever attempted double-duty, as he’ll run in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday and in the Cup Series race on Sunday.
That’s an aspect that Finchum is looking forward to, as it hearkens back to his short track days when he’d compete in multiple late model races over the course of a single weekend, albeit many times at different race tracks back then.
“I’ve never done double duty at this level, but I’ve watched a bunch of drivers do it and you have to respect them for what it takes to pull it off. I’ll find that out here in a couple weeks,” Finchum laughed. “I know what it’s like to get out of a race car and feel exhausted and have to wake up the next day, be sore and realize you’ve got more things you have to do.”
“When I was racing late models, we’d race in Kingsport, Tennessee on a Friday night and then go off to Radford, Virginia (Motor Mile Speedway) or wherever the next day to race again. It’s similar to that, in some ways, at least. It’s for sure going to be a challenge, but it’s one I feel ready for.”
Finchum noted that if not for Long believing enough to take a chance on him, he wouldn’t be here.
“Carl is a racer, and I’m thankful he saw something in another racer like myself to put me in one of his cars and give me a shot to live my dream,” he said. “I can’t thank him enough and I’m so excited to represent him and drive his race cars throughout this season, including twice at Bristol next month.”
