Chad Finchum Wins Thursday Thunder Legends Car Championship With Sixth Victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Making the transition from Bandoleros to Legends Cars can be tricky for some, but not for Tennessee racer Chad Finchum. After a season where he virtually won everything under the sun in Bandoleros, Finchum changed gears and climbed into a Legends Car. Results came quickly, and by mid-summer Finchum had established himself as the top contender for a championship during Thursday Thunder at Atlanta Motor Speedway (GA). Not only did he win the title, but he also he took home six victories in the 10-race series to go along with his title as Champion of the Young Lions Legends division.
“We won the Summer Shootout title (at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in North Carolina) last year and that was wonderful, but to win here at Atlanta is really amazing,” said Finchum. “Now we get to go up on stage with all the NASCAR drivers when we receive our awards at the Sprint Cup race. It’s just an amazing deal and I want to win it again next year.”
Perhaps the strength of Finchum’s run in 2009 was based on his ability to understand change. Last year he won well over 30 races. This year visiting victory lane has become less frequent, but it hasn’t been a disappointment, rather more of a motivation tool for Finchum.
“We came into this season hoping to have the same success we had a year ago,” said Finchum. “I was hoping to win, but I knew the transition to Legends would take time. To be able to win a Championship in our first year of Legends Cars is really big for us.”
Finchum has established himself as a good racecar driver early on in his Legends Car career. What some drivers learn in a year’s time, Finchum has learned in only eight months in the Young Lions rookie class.
“The Legends Car is completely different than a Bandolero,” said Finchum. “We learned very quickly that the lines are different; you have to be easier on the throttle and you have to enter the corners differently. We were lucky we were able to adapt so quickly. Hopefully we can do just as good, if not better, in the Pro’s next year.”
A year ago, the Thursday Thunder series championship at Atlanta Motor Speedway was one of the few things that Finchum didn’t win in his Bandolero. This year, Finchum left no doubt - he scored six wins and finished outside the top five only once.
“We tried hard to win the Championship at Atlanta last year in the Bandoleros,” said Finchum. “We worked hard to find the right setup, and we didn’t really hit on something until week four or so. Once we got the setup down, going to Atlanta felt like home because we always ran so well there.”
Finchum will be looking to end his Summer Shootout season at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (NC) with a victory in the Young Lions division in the final round on Tuesday, August 11th.
For more information on Chad Finchum, please contact Jason Buckley at (704) 788-2134 x 6. Also check out his newly re-launched website by 51 Sports at www.chadfinchum.com.
Chad Finchum working the Turns at AMS
(51 Sports Photo)
