Fourth Place Finish For Chad Finley In The Mercy Masters Of The Pros 144
Gutsy Pit Strategy pays off with a top five finish (Special from Chad Finley Racing)
May 20, 2014
DeWitt, Michigan (May 20, 2014) – The 2nd annual Mercy Masters of the Pros 144
Presented by JEGS.com was on Saturday, May 17th at the immaculate Lebanon I-44
Speedway, located west of St. Louis in Lebanon, Missouri. The NASCAR Whelen All-
American Series sanctioned facility served as hosts of the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour
Presented by Chevrolet Performance in the richest paying and longest distance event for
the series in the 2014 racing season. The winner would leave the Show-Me State with a
cool $8,000 payday.
After qualifying ninth quick out of the 33-car field on the grounds, the 22-year-old would
start the race in ninth spot. At the lap 100 break, Finley was still in ninth and decided a
bold move was in order if he had any chance at claiming the coveted Green Jacket. While
20 teams elected to not take on two fresh Hoosier Racing Tires, Finley was the only team
in the top 10 at the break to go ahead and strap on new shoes. He would restart all the
way back in 21st. It proved to be a good move for the DeWitt, Michigan driver as he
advanced 17 spots to come away with a solid fourth place showing.
"Going into the weekend my plan was to take two tires at the break. Last year taking two
tires almost got us a top two finish until a late race altercation." Finley explained. "I really thought this year more people would have taken two. I opted to take the tires because I felt like I couldn't beat the leaders with what I had and that was our best chance to win the race." We had Grant (Quinlan) on the same strategy. I thought he did an outstanding job to come home 11th after starting behind me in 23rd. He is doing us a great job and he has a tremendous amount of talent." He added.
"I'm proud to have rebounded like we did to pass so many cars in such a short span." The Great Lakes State pilot continued. "It was pretty hairy there at some points. We just needed more laps at the end. I'm proud of the CFR group for the valiant efforts and we will go to Milwaukee (Mile for ARCA Fest on June 6-8th) and try to gain three more positions." He ended.
Finley will now concentrate on his Crew Chief role for CFR development driver, 15-year-old Grant Quinlan this Saturday, May 24th at Columbus Motor Speedway in Columbus, Ohio. Finley is the reigning two-time winner of the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour race at the 1/3 (0.333) mile semi-banked circular shaped paved oval. This time around, he hopes to serve as the winning Crew Chief for Quinlan in the Agroscapes 100 Presented by SizzleMarine.com.
The next time Finley himself climbs back behind the wheel will be at the famed one mile (1.000) semi-banked paved oval of the Milwaukee Mile on Friday-Sunday, June 6-8th. The ARCA Midwest Tour Presented by SCAG Power Equipment headlines ARCA Fest with the 4th annual Swiss Colony Howie Lettow Memorial 150.
As for the rest of the 2014 racing season and in addition to select appearances in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, Finley will also run in several high-profile Super Late Model races throughout the country with a primary focus on the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS. He'll also run events within the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, ARCA Midwest Tour and the Southern Super Series. On some off weekends, Finley will also compete in an Outlaw Bodied Pro Late Model closer to home at Owosso Speedway (MI).
All of Finley's #42 Chad Finley Racing entries will carry sponsorship support and decals all year long from Auto Value Parts Stores & Certified Service Centers as well as AutoParts2020.com, The Air Lift Company, XLT Engineering, NorthsideTowing.net, Five Star Racecar Bodies, Bassett Racing Wheels, Affordable Tire & Service, Bosch Spark Plugs, Hyperco Suspension, Maurer’s Textiles, Superior Racing Images and M.P.H. Promotions.
For more information about Chad Finley Racing and driver Chad Finley and to inquire about sponsorship opportunities for the rest of the 2014 season, please go to the CFR website located at: www.chadfinleyracing.com You can also follow CFR on Facebook and Twitter as well by going to the following links: www.facebook.com/chadfinleyracing and www.twitter.com/chad_finley and clicking on the “Like” and “Follow” buttons respectively.
