Edward Finger wasn’t originally planning to travel from his Murrieta home to Barona Speedway for the September 13 races. Finger’s father, Norm, has a September 13 birthday and his mother’s brother, Ramona resident Brian Fitzgibbons, married a woman born on September 13. The initial birthday plan was a family outing at Perris Auto Speedway for the World of Outlaws sprint car races, but after the cost of tickets and parking was evaluated the Finger family figured they could race at Barona that night for less and see their friends at the track. Finger and Fitzgibbons offset some of the racing costs with payout checks for their finishes in the Pure Stocks main event.
The team also includes Poway driver Randy Alldrege, who won the September 13 main event. Finger finished second and Fitzgibbons was third.
“To finish 1-2-3 as a team, behind my teammate Randy and in front of my Uncle Brian, it’s awesome,” Fitzgibbons said.
Finger races a 1979 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. Alldredge drives a 1977 Pontiac Ventura owned by Fitzgibbons. Robby Norris, who splits time between his Julian home and Purdue University where he is studying Motorsports Engineering, is also part of the team. During Norris’ freshman year his parents, Robert and Tami, maintained the 1976 Chevrolet Nova while Fitzgibbons and Jason Pontsler of Poway also helped work on the car during the off-season. Norris finished fifth August 16 and left for his sophomore year at Purdue on August 18. Robert Norris drove his son’s car August 30, finishing fourth in his heat race but not completing the main event. Fitzgibbons drove the Nova for the September 13 competition.
Mike Dow and Orange County resident Bryce Mulvey also worked on the team’s cars. Dow now lives in the state of Washington but made the trip to Barona Speedway for the September 13 races and the family birthdays.
Finger, Fitzgibbons, and Alldrege were among 25 Pure Stocks drivers September 13. Four eight-lap heat races were held with the top three finishers in each heat race automatically qualifying for the main event and the other drivers competing in a 12-lap B Main to fill out the final eight main event cars.
Seven drivers including Finger and Andrew Schmitz, who was raised in Hemet and moved from Hemet to Santa Ysabel in November 2024, were in the first heat race. Finger started on the outside of the third row. Initially he did not have room to gain positions.
“Started picking them off about halfway through,” Finger said.
Finger was running fourth when he tried to pass Camp Pendleton driver Joe Kot in the final lap. The two had contact. Kot remained in third with Finger finishing fourth. Schmitz took fifth place.
Fitzgibbons won the second Pure Stocks heat race, Alldrege finished first in the third heat race, and San Diego driver Brandon Jesina won the fourth heat race with Canyon Lake’s David Stites finishing second. Ramona driver Chris Evans, who leads the point standings, had a flat tire in the second heat race and did not finish.
Finger began the B main on the pole while Ramona’s Jacob Frye started on the outside of the front row. Schmitz took the original green flag on the inside of the third row.
Finger took the initial lead. Evans, who began the B main on the outside of the fifth row, had moved up to third behind Finger and Schmitz before a yellow flag caution was thrown during the ninth lap
A yellow flag or red flag stoppage causes (with some exceptions) a “Delaware restart” in which the leader is by himself and the other cars are lined up two wide. Evans and Schmitz were on the second row behind Finger.
Evans took second on the restart. He passed Finger between turns three and four during the final lap to take first in the B main.
“Led all of the laps except the last one,” Finger said.
Lakeside’s Mark Espinoza finished third in the fourth heat race, but his car could not race in the main event. The B main finish of Yuma’s Grace Escalante made her an alternate for the main event, so she drove in the feature and the B main qualifiers who start behind the qualifiers from the heat races moved up one starting position. Evans began on the outside of the sixth row and Finger started on the inside of the seventh row. Fitzgibbons was on the outside of the front row to start the main event and Alldrege was on the outside of the third row.
Fitzgibbons took the initial lead. Alldrege had moved into second by the time the first yellow flag was thrown, and he passed Fitzgibbons on the restart.
Finger eventually moved up to fourth while Jesina was in third. Finger twice passed Jessina only to have that position nullified by a yellow flag and restart. On the second of those restarts he passed Jessina for a third time.
“Eventually got around him,” Finger said.
Finger was also able to pass Fitzgibbons on that lap. “I was able to get around him and stay behind Randy,” Finger said.
Evans drives a 1976 Chevrolet Camaro which had rear end problems during the main event. Evans exited the track early and settled for 19th place. He still holds a one-point lead in the season standings over Alldrege. Chris Wilder of Spring Valley is 27 points behind Alldrege. Finger, who decided to miss the May 24 race intentionally this year so that he could race for enjoyment and not focus on the season championship, is a point behind Wilder and 24 points ahead of fifth-place Cody Parenteau of Lakeside.
If weather allows the Pure Stocks will race September 27 and October 25. With Finger’s teammate in the points championship race and Finger not pursuing any given position, he wasn’t going to risk contact with Alldrege in an attempt to win the September 13 race.
“I knew he was going to be there,” Alldrege said. “I knew I was going to get the pressure but not as aggressive as if it had been a non-teammate.”
Fitzgibbons also opted for a 1-2-3 team finish rather than a personal gain in position and focused on staying ahead of Parenteau, who finished fourth.
“It’s one big awesome family. We’re just having a really good time doing it,” Alldrege said
Stites was the fifth driver across the finish line. Schmitz finished ninth.
Finger won the June 7 main. He finished third July 19 although with Alldrege winning and Robby Norris taking second. Finger finished eighth August 16 and fifth August 30.
“I just wanted the car to run good because we’ve had three frustrating races,” Finger said.
Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia.com.
