Chad Finley returned to action at the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series after nearly seven weeks away from racing. Finley finished 15th at the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Before the race, Finley expressed his eagerness to get on the track.
“It feels like forever since I’ve been back in the Truck Series,” said Finley. “So I’m eager to get to the track this week and get down to business,”
Finley secures crucial marketing partnerships
After securing a number of marketing partners, the Michigan native has taken the wheel of the Chad Finley Racing (CFR) team’s No. 42 Chevrolet Silverado. The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 was his second race of the season.
Finley credited his sponsors for making everything possible.
“I’m super happy to have the support of Strutmasters.com, Air Lift Company and Auto Value Certified Service Centers a part of my Charlotte debut.”
Right at home in Charlotte
Charlotte was an ideal location for Finley to make his return. Charlotte Motor Speedway is just a quick 45-minute drive from the Chad Finley Racing team headquarters in Mooresville, NC. The race presented a solid opportunity for Finley & Co. to get back in the water.
“Everyone wants to run well at Charlotte, including us,” added Finley. “It’s important race because it’s in the backyard of where a lot of the teams are based, and the race certainly draws a lot of attention for those reasons. But for us, we want to draw attention for ourselves this weekend with our on-track performance and not necessarily where we come from.”
Finley made sure to credit his crew’s role in readying the truck for the upcoming races.
“Bruce and the guys have worked methodically on our No. 42 Strutmasters.com | Air Lift Company | Auto Value Certified Service Centers Chevrolet Silverado to make sure we can go out there and be competitive. A top-10 run would certainly feel like a victory for us and give us some much-needed momentum into the summer.”
Shortened season for the best
Chad Finley is the son of former NASCAR driver and ARCA winner Jeff Finley. The elder Finley now serves as team principal.
Although outside circumstances caused the team to adjust their expectations for the Truck Series this season, Jeff Finley said that the decision to skip some events was for the best.
“We’ve could have gone out and run every race this season,” explained the elder Finley. “But it would not have been up to the standard we set forth every time we leave the shop and head to the race track.”
“Chad Finley Racing prides itself on putting competitive equipment with an opportunity to run up front,” he continued. “Now, that we’re able to pick and choose our races and we’re confident in our capabilities and look forward to the chance to showcase that not only at Charlotte but in future races no matter who is behind the wheel.”
A whole host of new sponsors
The team was able to secure primary marketing partnerships with Auto Value Certified Service Centers, Air Lift Company and Strutmasters.com for the race.
Strutmasters has been an industry leader in suspension parts and air to non-air suspension conversion kits since 1999. The company has recently been aggressively expanding its racing partnership portfolio.
Finley’s team also earned support from Northsidetowing.net and XLT Engineering as well for the race in Charlotte.
After a top 15 finish, it would appear that Chad Finley is back and ready for more action.