Edward Finger had raced in Barona Speedway’s Pure Stocks class since 2023, but the Murrieta driver has transitioned to the Hobby Stocks division. Finger made his Hobby Stocks debut April 11 and finished second in the heat race.
Finger was running second in the main event before his ignition coil broke and he went into the pits. The Daffern brothers from Brawley took the first two finishes in the main event, with Canyon Lake driver David Stites placing third.
“Very successful I thought,” Finger said. “I was able to be competitive with the fast guys.”
Finger, a 2020 Vista Murrieta High School graduate, began racing in Barona’s Sport Compact division in June 2021 with a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. In 2022, he won Sport Compact season championships both at Barona Speedway and at Perris Auto Speedway. Finger and his family bought a 1979 Chevrolet Caprice Classic from Ramona driver Charlie Koehler, and after one 2022 Pure Stocks race in that car he finished third in Barona’s 2023 Pure Stocks point standings and had one main event win that year. Finger was third in the 2024 Pure Stocks standings, although he won ten main events.
Last year Finger decided to miss races intentionally so that he could race for enjoyment and not be focused on the season championship. During a May vacation, he missed a race and also made a marriage proposal to Savannah Armenta, who accepted. Finger won his first race after his engagement. Finger sold the Caprice prior to the final race of 2025, but his racing team also includes Robby Norris, who splits time between his Julian home and Purdue University, where he is studying Motorsports Engineering, and Finger drove Norris’ 1976 Chevrolet Nova for the final race of the 2025 season and won that main event. Despite missing two races, Finger still finished fifth in the Pure Stocks points standings.
Lakeside driver Jim Alves purchased the Caprice. Finger and his family purchased a Hobby Stock with a 2020 Dodge Charger chassis from a Las Vegas driver.
Heat races on Barona Speedway’s quarter-mile dirt oval are eight laps. Finger began the April 11 heat on the inside of the second row while Cody Daffern started on the pole and Thomas Daffern was on the outside of the front row. Thomas Daffern led after the first lap while Cody Daffern was second and Finger was third.
“I took my time the first couple of laps to get a feel for the car,” Finger said.
Finger took over second during the second lap. He moved alongside Thomas Daffern in the sixth lap but could not pass the leader.
“Not bad,” Finger said. “I can’t complain with second place first race in the car.”
Cody Daffern won last year’s Barona Speedway season championship for the Hobby Stocks. Thomas Daffern raced only four times at Barona in 2025 but won three main events.
“I’m fast,” Finger said. “I was able to get second place and reel down the leader. Ran pretty much side by side with him for the last three laps.”
Cody Daffern began the 20-lap main event on the pole, Yuma’s Scott Tenney was on the outside of the front row, Finger started on the inside of the second row, Thomas Daffern took the original green flag on the outside of the second row, and Stites had a third-row start. Cody Daffern led after one lap and Finger was in second.
Near the end of the second lap Finger passed Daffern on the inside to take the lead, but during the fourth lap Finger spun. Finger was able to regain second before limping into the pits.
“It was great. It was super fast. It was hooked up,” Finger said. “For my first night out I’m still happy.”
The Hobby Stocks are scheduled to race again May 9. “We’ll be back next time,” Finger said.
