Jake Finch
Jake Finch, the son of former NASCAR team owner James Finch, will make his ARCA Menards Series East debut this Saturday at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. (Kevtron Media)

NOTEBOOK: Jake Finch gearing up for East Series debut at home track

www.arcaracing.com March 17, 2022

For 16-year-old Jake Finch, there is no better place to make his ARCA Menards Series East debut than Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.

Finch is intimately familiar with the half-mile paved oval. He has raced at the track on a regular basis for several years, capturing the Outlaw division track championship last season. He also competed in what is arguably the biggest asphalt Super Late Model race in the country at Five Flags, the Snowball Derby, for the first time last season.

His experience at Five Flags made it an obvious choice when it came time to decide where he’d make his East Series debut in Saturday’s Pensacola 200.

“For my first race, it kind of gets rid of that learning curve of not only learning a new track, but also learning a new car,” Finch said. “I think going to Pensacola makes it a little easier on everybody for the first step on the ladder.”

RELATED: Watch the Pensacola 200 on FloRacing

If the name Finch sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the son of former NASCAR team owner James Finch. The elder Finch was active in NASCAR from 1989 through 2013, earning victories in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series for a variety of drivers with his Phoenix Racing team.

Brad Keselowski delivered Finch’s only Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway in 2009, while drivers like Jeff Purvis, Randy LaJoie, Jimmy Spencer, Jamie McMurray, Johnny Sauter, Mike Bliss and Kurt Busch drove his cars to victory in the Xfinity Series.

In addition to his NASCAR success, Finch also fielded cars in the ARCA Menards Series for more than two decades, earning 10 victories as an owner. Eight of those wins came with Purvis behind the wheel, while Andy Hillenburg and Casey Roderick also scored victories for Finch in ARCA competition.

Phoenix Racing last fielded a car in ARCA competition in 2011, but that changes Saturday at Five Flags. Jake Finch is excited to be able to continue to fly the Phoenix Racing flag as he continues his assent up the racing ranks.

“It’s really cool,” Jake Finch said. “It’s always been like this my whole life. If I’m racing, I’m racing with my dad. It’s not my first race with him or anything like that. It’s obviously super cool, and I’m super blessed to do it with that whole group. To be able to carry that name (Phoenix Racing) is very special, especially going back and looking at all the people that have drove for him in the past.

“To be able to have the same logo on my chest that they did is pretty cool.”

RELATED: Pensacola 200 entry list

With plenty of experience at Five Flags, Jake Finch believes he can be competitive and run near the front of the field. However, the larger goal for Saturday’s Pensacola 200 is for him to get familiar with the car and complete all the laps.

“If I don’t go there wanting to win, then I shouldn’t be going there,” Jake Finch said. “Obviously I want to win and do as good as I can, but I think the realistic goal is to finish the race, run all 200 laps and have a good night for learning and being able to be in the car as long as I can.”

Beyond Five Flags, Finch said he’s not certain what his schedule will be like for the remainder of the season. He expects to compete in five or six ARCA events this season and is hopeful that number will grow next year.

“I know I’m running a few ARCA East races with my dad, and I know there are some other things in the works also that I don’t know too much about yet,” he explained. “I just know we’re going to run about five or six ARCA races this year and hopefully add on to that next year.”

Sammy Smith vs. Taylor Gray, Part 3

Sammy Smith and Taylor Gray
Sammy Smith and Taylor Gray in action during the Race to Stop Suicide 200 presented by Place of Hope at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway on Feb. 15, 2022. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

It’s only mid-March, and Sammy Smith and Taylor Gray have established themselves as the two drivers to beat in ARCA competition.

Smith opened the year with a dominant victory in the East Series opener at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway on Feb. 15, with Gray finishing second. They combined to lead all 200 laps of the Race to Stop Suicide 200, with Smith leading 167 laps and Gray leading the remaining 33.

Fast forward to last Friday night at Phoenix Raceway during the ARCA Menards Series General Tire 150, and it was Gray’s turn to celebrate. With the loss of David Gilliland Racing hauler driver Steven Stotts on his mind, Gray powered to an impressive victory against a 39-car field.

Defending East Series champion Smith started from the pole and led the most laps (79), but he struggled with his car in the second half of the race and faded to third at the checkered flag.

“We had a really good car the first 75 (laps) and probably 25 laps after and then it went really, really right,” Smith said immediately after the race. “I’m not sure what quite happened.”

The third round of the battle between Smith and Gray takes place Saturday night at Five Flags. Smith enters the race as the defending event winner while Gray has never finished worse than fourth in East Series competition at the half-mile paved oval.

Smith enters the Pensacola 200 as the East Series championship leader thanks to his victory at New Smyrna. He’ll hope to grow his slim, six-point advantage over Gray on Saturday at Five Flags.

Sunshine State of mind for Donald Theetge

While it’s starting to warm up a bit in the Southeastern portion of the United States, it’s still a bit chilly for our neighbors to the north.

That’s not a problem for Canada’s Donald Theetge, who is heading to Florida for the second time this season to compete with the East Series.

The 55-year-old driver from Quebec made his East Series debut on Feb. 15 at New Smyrna, starting third and finishing fifth driving for Marie Benevento.

While Theetge may be new to the East Series, he is no rookie. He is a veteran competitor who has raced in Canada and the Northeast for more than 30 years. He’s competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and is a race winner in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, scoring his lone victory in 2018 at Wyant Group Raceway in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

He is once again driving for Benevento this weekend at Five Flags as he attempts to better his fifth-place result from February at New Smyrna.

Willie Mullins back for more

Willie Mullins has never raced in more than one East Series event per season during his career, having only previously entered the opener at New Smyrna each of the last three seasons.

That changes Saturday when Mullins ventures back to Florida to compete at Five Flags, a track at which he has never raced, as part of a continued partnership with Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Racing.

He enters the Pensacola 200 fresh off solid performances at New Smyrna and Daytona International Speedway. He finished eighth in the East Series opener at New Smyrna and 14th at Daytona in the ARCA Menards Series opener.

“We’re very optimistic going into Five Flags,” Mullins said. “After leaving New Smyrna with an eighth-place finish, we’re just looking to improve upon that and maybe try to get into the top five this weekend.

“Five Flags and New Smyrna are pretty similar. Other than the corners being different, both tracks are worn out and they produce pretty good racing, so we’re all ready to head down there and have another strong run.”

Notes:

  • Ashton Higgins is expected to make his East Series debut in Saturday’s Pensacola 200. He was entered in the opener at New Smyrna but withdrew and didn’t compete.
  • Brad Smith and Christian Rose are among the drivers scheduled to compete Saturday at Five Flags. They’ll be the only drivers to have competed in every ARCA event this year across all three divisions.
  • Making his East Series debut, Daniel Escoto will drive the No. 60 Chevrolet owned by NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Josh Williams at Five Flags Speedway. He is expected to compete in the remainder of the East Series events this season for the team.