Chad Finchum scored his fifth straight Late Model Stock victory Friday night at Kingsport Speedway. Photo by RPM Photos
KINGSPORT, TN — To say that defending Kingsport Speedway and Tennessee State NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion Chad Finchum of Knoxville is on a roll would be an understatement. He entered the night of racing at the Kingsport, TN speedway Friday night having won the last four Wallace Kia Late Model Stock events.
The 19-year-old Finchum set fast-time (15.085 seconds) in qualifying to earn his eighth pole award in 2014. But following roll of the dice the top-five from time trials were inverted for start of the 60-lap feature race. Teenage rookies Justin Fontaine and Zack Walton led the 18-car field to the green flag from the front row, and after racing side-by-side the opening two circuits, Walton moved ahead into the lead.
Working the third lap between turns one and two, behind Walton things became quite interesting when Fontaine got into the left-rear quarter panel of 2011-12 Kingsport Speedway champion Nate Monteith and sent Monteith spinning. Fontaine was also collected along with Lee Tissot, while others sustained sheet-metal damage while trying to avoid the wreck. All continued except for Tissot, whose race was over with his damaged car parked in the pits.
Off the double-file restart, Finchum powered ahead of Walton and Keith Stiltner, followed by Austin Peters and Joey Trent. Another caution waved on lap 15, when Allen Hawkins had a right-rear tire go flat and he spun exiting turn two on the backstretch.
Back under green and once again Finchum pulled out ahead of Walton and Stiltner. Several competitors’ had their qualifying times disallowed due to post-run rules infractions, among them current point leader Kres VanDyke, Ronnie McCarty and Zeke Shell. After being forced to start the race from rear of the field, the trio began making a hard charge forward.
With Finchum in command out front leading Walton, Stiltner and Peters by right at a half-straightaway, VanDyke moved into fifth place on lap 23 and behind him were Trent, McCarty, Shell, Tyler Goodwin and Monteith in the running order.
As the leaders worked lapped traffic, just completing lap 42 at the start-finish line, disaster struck for second-running Walton when he tangled with the lapped car of Sam Steffey. Both cars slammed hard into the outside concrete wall and locked together sliding amidst a shower of sparks along the wall until coming to a grinding stop past the pit gate entrance in the first turn to bring out the caution, and then red flag to quickly allow emergency and track officials to get to the scene. Both drivers climbed uninjured from their torn-up race cars.
Back under green, Finchum pulled ahead of Stiltner and VanDyke. But VanDyke was not content to ride in third and he got around Stiltner for second on lap 44 racing off the fourth turn. Racing off turn two on lap 49, Shell got under Peters for the fifth spot.
With Finchum headed to his fifth straight Late Model Stock victory, some late-race controversy created drama at the finish. Both Finchum and VanDyke had taken the white flag, and once the race leader receives the white flag even if the caution waves, the race is over.
Behind Finchum and VanDyke, contact between Stiltner and McCarty sent Stiltner spinning in turn two, and with nowhere to go Shell ran into Stiltner on the backstretch in a cloud of smoke.
Race officials made the call and Finchum got the victory, followed in the rundown by VanDyke, Stiltner, McCarty and Shell.
Completing the top 10 finishers were Peters, Fontaine, Monteith, Goodwin and Trent.
The Street Stock race ran all 30 laps caution free and stealing the limelight was veteran competitor Royce Peters of Kingsport as he led flag-to-flag for his third victory of the season. Chasing Peters to the checkered flag were Alan Rich, divisional point leader Nick Cole, Kirby Gobble and Jared Broadbent.
The Pure 4 division competed in twin feature races. In the opener Kenny Absher jumped out to the lead over Billy Ketron and Keith Helton, but Helton quickly got around Ketron for second.
Working the third lap, between turns one and two race leader Absher got sideways and with Helton to his inside attempting to mount a challenge to move ahead, contact was made between the two cars which in turn sent Helton out of control and slamming down against the inside concrete retaining wall along the backstretch to bring out the caution.
On the ensuing double-file restart, racing off into the first turn John Ketron got into Absher’s left-rear quarter panel and turned the leader, which quickly became a multi-car wreck involving Absher, Ketron and also collecting Billy Byington, Tim Abselseth, Chris Neeley, Dylan Bates and Kirby Gobble.
Back under green the Ketron brothers, Billy and Jason, battled each other for track position by racing side-by-side for many laps before older sibling Billy moved into the lead one lap from the finish. It was a Ketron family sweep of the top three finishing positions with Billy getting his second win of the season over Jason and father, John. Rounding out the top-five were Chris Hill and David “Animal” Trent.
Billy Ketron made it a clean sweep on the night by also recording the victory in the second race over John Ketron, Absher, Jason Ketron and Abelseth.
Duke Bare of Meadowview, VA, captured his fifth Pure Street victory over Nasty Jones, Brad Ball, Iggy Greer and Jeremy Draughn.
Kingsport’s Brandon Crumbley recorded his third Rookie Pure 4 feature win over Rusty Clendenin, Dennis Stanley, James Deese and Michael “Mook” Jeter.
For the second time this season Jerry Lane of Kingsport got the better of sons Derek and Trey in recording the Legend victory. Finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, were Les Ottinger and Hannah Ottinger.
Kingsport Speedway – Kingsport, TN
Race Results – Sept. 5, 2014
Late Model Stocks
1. Chad Finchum #19-Knoxville, TN
2. Kres VanDyke #15-Claypool Hill, VA
3. Keith Stiltner #22-Grundy, VA
4. Ronnie McCarty #5-Kingsport, TN
5. Zeke Shell #97-Johnson City, TN
6. Austin Peters #66-Kingsport, TN
7. Justin Fontaine #60-Fletcher, NC
8. Nate Monteith #150-Blountville, TN
9. Tyler Goodwin #64-Kingsport, TN
10. Joey Trent #26-Gray, TN
11. Rick Pannell #33-Kingsport, Tn
12. Zack Walton #38-Blountville, TN
13. Sam Steffey #35-Abingdon, VA
14. Allen Hawkins #76-Kingsport, TN
15. Wayne Hale #19-Bluff City, TN
16. Lee Tissot #7-Asheville, NC
17. Chris Tunnell #14-Wise, VA
18. Luke Fox #94-Weaverville, NC
Street Stocks
1. Royce Peters #48
2. Alan Rich #03
3. Nick Cole #63
4. Kirby Gobble #3
5. Jared Broadbent #74
6. Rob Austin #18
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8. Chris Tunnell #6
9. Jamie Meadows #11
10. Doug Austin #21
11. Sam P. Hurd #11
12. Bruce Crumbley #33
13. Dennis Deese #24
14. Danny Casteel #41
Pure 4 Race One
1. Billy Ketron #26
2. Jason Ketron #28
3. John Ketron #27
4. Chris Hill #14
5. David Trent #57
6. Tim Abelseth #66
7. Dylan Bates #6
8. Kirby Gobble #74
9. Todd Cross #41
10. Matthew Ford #00
11. Richard Quillen #14
12. Caleb Roark #99
13. Kenny Absher #11
14. Keith Helton #74
15. Billy Byington #01
16. Chris Neeley #94
Pure 4 Race Two
1. Billy Ketron #26
2. John Ketron #27
3. Kenny Absher #11
4. Jason Ketron #28
5. Tim Abselseth #66
6. Dylan Bates #6
7. David Trent #57
8. Chris Hill #14
9. Kirby Gobble #74
10. Todd Cross #41
11. Richard Quillen #14
12. Caleb Roark #99
13. Matthew Ford #00
DNS: Keith Helton #74
DNS: Billy Byington #01
DNS: Chris Neeley #94
Pure Street
1. Duke Bare #52
2. Nasty Jones #13
3. Brad Ball #17
4. Iggy Greer #33
5. Jeremy Draughn #2
Rookie Pure 4
1 Brandon Crumbley #7
2. Rusty Clendenin #11
3. Dennis Stanley #19
4. James Deese #66
5. Michael Jeter #53
6. William Hale #47
7. Chris Hill #14
8. Chris Wilhelm #99
9. Craig Phelps #51
10. Larry Stapleton #14
11. Cortney Roark #99
12. Larry Bowens #18
Legend
1. Jerry Lane #9
2. Derek Lane #19
3. Trey Lane #28
4. Les Ottinger #94
5. Hannah Ottinger #97
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