Chad Finchum Bio
James Chadwick Finchum, known professionally as Chad Finchum, is an American professional stock car racing driver born on September 22, 1994, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 66 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Garage 66. Throughout his career, Finchum has also competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the ARCA Menards Series East, building a reputation as a determined underdog in the national touring ranks.
Early Life and Background
Finchum grew up in the Knoxville, Tennessee, area and began his racing journey at the age of seven. He started his career racing go-karts at Dumplin Valley Raceway in Tennessee, where he quickly developed his skills. By the time he was thirteen, Finchum had accumulated 200 go-kart wins on both dirt and asphalt surfaces, demonstrating an early commitment to the sport.
As a teenager, he moved to full-bodied race cars and frequently competed in late models at Kingsport Speedway in Tennessee. He also raced Bandolero and Legends cars during the Charlotte Motor Speedway Summer Shootout, gaining valuable experience on a wider variety of tracks. Finchum graduated from Halls High School in Halls Crossroads, Tennessee, balancing his education with a growing racing schedule.
His grassroots success peaked in 2010 when he won the Tennessee NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship, signaling his readiness to climb the national ladder.
Path to NASCAR
Finchum made his first four K&N Pro Series East starts in 2011 with Lori Williams, a team that had previously fielded cars for Daniel Suárez and Jesus Hernandez. He scored two top-ten finishes in his debut season, placing seventh at both Bowman Gray Stadium and Gresham Motorsports Park. The following year, he joined Spraker Racing and again finished seventh at Bristol Motor Speedway.
After a single start with Spraker in 2013 that ended with a DNF at Bristol, Finchum began 2015 driving for his own team before linking up with Martin-McClure Racing later that season. In his third start with the team and his first outing of 2016, Finchum captured the K&N Pro Series East win at Bristol Motor Speedway, a defining early moment in his career.
Chad Finchum Career
Early Career (2011-2016)
Finchum’s early career was defined by perseverance in the K&N Pro Series East. After his first two seasons of adjustment, his association with Martin-McClure Racing transformed his results. The 2016 Bristol victory was a breakthrough, as he passed polesitter Harrison Burton thirteen laps into the race and held off future NASCAR national series drivers Kyle Benjamin, Justin Haley, Kaz Grala, and Todd Gilliland during a late restart.
The win at Bristol, a track Finchum considers his home track, cemented his reputation as a regional standout and opened the door to the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2017-2018)
Partnering with Team McClure Inc., Finchum signed on for two Xfinity Series races in 2017 with MBM Motorsports, making his debut at Dover International Speedway. Although he fell out with engine problems at Dover, he was approved for 1.5-mile tracks and added a start at Kentucky Speedway, along with five more races that season, cracking the top thirty three times.
In late November 2017, MBM Motorsports announced Finchum as the full-time driver of the No. 40 entry for the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. He led second practice at Daytona International Speedway in July and concluded the year 30th in the final point standings, a solid foundation for a young driver adjusting to full-time national competition.
NASCAR Cup Series Era (2018-Present)
On March 27, 2018, Finchum announced in a Bristol Motor Speedway promotional video that he would make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut at the track in April 2018. The run came in the No. 66 car for MBM Motorsports. After starting 38th, he finished 33rd when he retired from the race on lap 335, logging his first official Cup Series start at his favorite track.
In 2019, Finchum qualified an impressive second for both the Rinnai 250 and the Boyd Gaming 300 after rain canceled qualifying, with the field set by 2018 owner points that MBM had purchased from the former Chip Ganassi Racing Xfinity team. He ran nearly the full 2019 schedule, missing only Daytona, which was driven by John Jackson.
Finchum failed to qualify for the 2020 Daytona 500 after finishing twentieth in Duel 1 of the Bluegreen Vacations Duels. He ran the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that September, finishing last after overheating ended his day after nineteen laps, and also competed at Kansas and Texas, finishing 39th and 35th respectively. He has continued to make select Cup and Xfinity starts in subsequent seasons, including a 2024 Xfinity appearance with Joey Gase Motorsports at Darlington in a Kevin Harvick throwback paint scheme, and remains active in the garage as of 2025 with MBM Motorsports.
Driving Style and Strengths
Finchum is known for his resilience and his ability to maximize equipment on short tracks and intermediate ovals. His breakthrough Cup qualifying efforts in 2019, where he started second at both Las Vegas and Las Vegas-area venues, highlighted his one-lap pace, while his steady K&N Pro Series East performances demonstrated his race craft.
Notable Races and Milestones
The 2016 K&N Pro Series East win at Bristol Motor Speedway stands as one of his career-defining moments, along with his 2018 Cup Series debut at the same track. The 2019 qualifying runs at Las Vegas and the season-long effort with MBM also stand out as signature achievements in his journey through NASCAR’s national ranks.
Chad Finchum Career Wins
Chad Finchum’s career win list is anchored by his 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East victory at Bristol Motor Speedway, his signature triumph. He also captured the 2010 Tennessee NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship, a significant grassroots title that launched his progression toward the national series.
K&N Pro Series East Highlights
Finchum’s lone K&N Pro Series East win came at Bristol in 2016, where he started fourth, took the lead from Harrison Burton early, and held off a stacked field of future Cup and Xfinity talent on a late restart. He also recorded a fifth-place finish at Bristol in 2017 during a limited schedule.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his K&N success, Finchum won the 2010 Tennessee NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship, a major short-track title in the Southeast, and logged 200 go-kart victories before his teenage years.
Chad Finchum Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Chad Finchum is a native of the Knoxville, Tennessee, area and was raised in the surrounding region. His early years were shaped by the East Tennessee short-track scene, where he developed his skills at local ovals before reaching the national level.
Personal Life
Finchum graduated from Halls High School in Halls Crossroads, Tennessee, and continues to be based in his home state. Outside of racing, he has remained closely tied to his Tennessee roots and the short-track community that shaped his career.
2025 Season Performance
On December 21, 2024, MBM Motorsports announced through a Facebook post that Finchum would drive for the team in 2025, beginning with the race at Texas Motor Speedway. The announcement set the stage for another part-time slate in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he is expected to pilot the No. 66 entry.
Finchum’s 2025 schedule is expected to build on the momentum of his 2024 return to MBM’s No. 66 car in the Xfinity Series, as well as his one-off start with Joey Gase Motorsports at Darlington in May. His continued partnership with longtime supporters positions him as a reliable presence in the garage and a consistent threat to surprise in select events.
