NASCAR Xfinity Series: Chad Finchum talks first race at Mid-Ohio in interview

Chad Finchum is competing in his NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie season. The 2018 Rock N Roll Tequila 170 was his first race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Here is what he had to say about it.

Chad Finchum debuted in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Dover International Speedway last season. There, he drove the #40 MBM Motorsports Chevrolet to a 34th place finish. He competed in seven races in the 2017 Xfinity Series season and drove for MBM Motorsports in all of them.

MBM Motorsports later announced that Finchum would compete full-time in the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. To add to his rookie campaign, he debuted in the Cup Series driving the #66 Toyota in the 2018 Food City 500 at his home track of Bristol Motor Speedway. He finished that race in 33rd place as a result of a crash.

At the 2018 Rock N Roll Tequila 170, Finchum qualified in 36th place. While that is not a good qualifying effort, this race was his first race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Benefiting from a free pass later in the race, he finished as the last car on the lead lap in 29th.

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A few days after the race, I spoke with Finchum about his race along with his goals for the rest of his rookie season.

Q: First off, tell me about your race car, the #40 Toyota. Sticker or scuffed tires? Composite or steel bodied? How do those two factor into your race?

A: I drove on sticker tires and raced a steel bodied Toyota. I’ve driven on scuffed tires in previous races. What tires my team buys all comes down to sponsorship dollars. Any financial help I receive goes to my racing. The reason I raced a steel bodied car at Mid-Ohio is because MBM Motorsports does not have a composite road course car. Additionally, with no R&D and some secondhand parts, the steel bodied car definitely made it more challenging. Composite race cars weigh less, which is always good. At a road course, less weight is easier for the turns.

Q: Tell me about your race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

A: Coming into this season, I had no road course experience. Watkins Glen, 2018 Zippo 200, was my first road course. There, my first real experience was qualifying. Because it rained during practice, whereas the forecast for the race called for dry conditions, my laps during practice were nowhere near full speed. During that race, we lost laps due to brake issues. So I wanted to build off my laps at Watkins Glen. For most of the race, I fought for 25th-26th place. At one point I ran as high as 22nd or 23rd, I believe. On the last lap, I raced hard for 25th-26th place. Yet a driver braked hard and I lost a spot. I ended up racing my teammate Tim Cowen. As I tried to pass him, I hooked the curb with the right front and spun out. So I finished as the last car on the lead lap.

Q: So you finished 29th place. What did you need to finish better?

A: To not spin out! Not really having practice time on these tracks definitely affects my race. The practice at Mid-Ohio were my first laps on the track. I just need more experience, more seat time at this track. That way I’ll know how to communicate better. We are a hard-working team. If I improve my communication on how the car is, they’ll work on it to make it better for me. Which then will help me to qualify better. If I qualify better, I can race better, and hopefully gain those extra positions.

Q: How does a road ringer like Tim Cowen benefit you?

A: Having a teammate is so helpful. There’s two cars with two setups. We share information. We see how each other’s car races, the line he runs, and how he drives the car. Tim obviously has experience at Mid-Ohio. So I can ask him questions so I can race better, especially because it was my first time there. Experience at tracks is so beneficial. Yet for not lacking experience, it was a good race for MBM Motorsports. Our two cars ran side by side for much of the race, which shows the sharing of information is working. We outran some veterans and some drivers who have experience at the track, and we benefitted from a few drivers’ bad luck.

Q: What did you learn from Mid-Ohio?

A: Because it was my first time racing there, I learned some information which I can use next year. We only race at each road course only once on the season schedule. We only race at a few road courses. Each respective road course is a little different, so that’s a difference for me as a driver. Based on my experience, our budget, and what we are capable of, I think a top 30 finish is a good goal for me at road courses.

NOTE: The road courses on the 2018 Xfinity Series schedule are Watkins Glen International, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Road America, and the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval.

Q: You’re currently 32nd in points, tied with Josh Bilicki. Where do you want to finish the season in points?

A: Carl and I were talking about the fact that out of all the years he has been in NASCAR, this season has been his worst for mechanical issues. We just could not seem to get rid of the gremlins. We started the season and could not catch a break. The same goes for Bilicki. He’s dealt with a lot of bad luck lately. He’s pretty good on road courses, and he ran well at Mid-Ohio. In the first Bristol race, the 2018 Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300, I was running inside the top 20. When I ran as high as 16th place, the engine blew. It was great to see we are capable of good finishes, but instead I lost a ton of points there. So it’s been tough. We began the season with the mindset of a top 25 points finish would be a good finish for our team. Yet all those mechanical problems really hampered us in the point standings. Over the past few races, we’ve bounced back. Unfortunately, with the season a little over halfway over, we’re playing catch up. At the moment, a realistic goal is to finish top 30 in points.

Q: Tell me about your goals for the rest of the season.

A: There are still plenty of race tracks I’ve never competed at. First, I need to log laps at these tracks. With that experience, I’ll learn as a driver, which is something I can build on for next year. As a team, we work really hard to squeeze the most speed out of our cars. Plus, there are some tracks where we hope for really good finishes. For where MBM Motorsports is compared to other Xfinity Series teams, a top 25 finish is a win for us in our bracket area, the teams we compete against each race. Short tracks offer us good opportunities. I’m hoping for a top 20 finish at Bristol. In the Xfinity Series, these cars are so aero-dependent. Composite bodies are more aero-friendly. So it’s a lot harder to drive a car that isn’t supposed to be up front and gain a lot of spots. For me in my rookie season, a win for me at each track is no damage to the car and more knowledge. This helps me improve as a driver and it will help the team improve overall. While we’re finishing not as good as we’d like, it isn’t for a lack of effort.

Q: Lastly, Smithbilt Homes has been your sponsor for many races this season. Tell me about that relationship.

A: They’ve been a part of my journey since I started racing in the lower levels. My father’s company, A-1 Finchum Heating & Cooling, does work for Smithbilt. They’re in Knoxville, Tennessee, which is where I’m from. They do a ton of business in the east Tennessee area. They’re big race fans who wanted to get involved in NASCAR. They’ve stepped up in the Xfinity Series for me with funding. We run some snazzy paint schemes to try to garner attention, whether it’s media, fans, potential sponsors, or TV. TV exposure helps teams. While TV networks mainly focus on the top 10, we try to grab their attention with our paint schemes.

Thank you Chad Finchum for speaking with me. His professionalism in giving thorough answers provided me with an abundance of information. He displayed patience while I wrote my notes. He consistently used the words “we,” “team,” “hard-working,” and spoke highly of his team’s effort. He is grateful for MBM Motorsports and any company that sponsors him.

Chad Finchum is set to return to his NASCAR home track of Bristol Motor Speedway when it hosts the 2018 Food City 300. That Xfinity Series race is scheduled to take place on Friday, August 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET, and NBC Sports Network is scheduled to broadcast it live.