Murrieta’s Finger wins Pure Stocks main

Murrieta driver, Edward Finger, moved into Barona Speedway’s season standings points lead for the IMCA Sport Compact division Saturday, August 6. Valley News/Joe Naiman photo

Edward Finger won the Pure Stocks main event April 27 at Barona Speedway. The Murrieta driver also finished first in his heat race, although he was penalized two positions for rough driving. Finger began the 20-lap main event on the outside of the fifth row and took the lead on a restarted 13th lap.

“I kind of steadily moved up,” Finger said.

The April 27 races were the second of the season for Barona Speedway. Finger won his March 16 heat race and finished second in that night’s main event.

“After that first race I had a lot more confidence going into tonight,” Finger said.

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 last year.

“The day after the last race the thing got completely stripped,” Finger said. “This car was completely gone through, and it paid off.”

Finger’s pit crew April 27 consisted of his father, Norm, and Anza resident Levi Dube.

“This car is dialed in right now,” Finger said. “It just handled perfectly, and I was able to make the right move at the right time.”

If a Barona Speedway class has more than 20 cars that evening four heat races occur with the first three finishers in each heat advancing to the main event and the others competing in a B main in which the top eight finishers transfer to the feature. Twenty Pure Stocks competed April 27, so no B main was needed and each of the four eight-lap heat races had five cars.

Without the need to avoid a B main some drivers utilize the heat race to test the car rather than to try to win. Finger sought a first-place sticker. “I’m trying to collect stickers and trophies,” he said.

Finger began the fourth heat race on the outside of the second row. “Coming off turn four had a little bit of contact,” he said. “After the contact I was able to take the lead.”

Murrieta driver, Edward Finger, won the Pure Stocks main event April 27 at Barona Speedway. Valley News/Courtesy photo

Finger took the lead from San Diego driver Thomas Soper near the end of the third lap and maintained first place. The track officials penalized Finger two positions for rough driving, so he was given third for the heat race. Soper, who finished immediately behind Finger, was given first place with Lakeside’s Jayson Aldridge officially finishing second.

Brandon Jesina of San Diego started the main event on the pole with Ramona’s Cameron Broe taking the original green flag on the outside of the first row. Descanso driver Jimmy Villa was on the outside of the fourth row immediately ahead of Finger while San Diego’s Robby Norris was on the inside of the fifth row alongside Finger.

Jesina had the lead after one lap with Santee’s Rick Chavez, who began the race on the inside of the second row, holding second and Broe being in third. In the event of a yellow flag caution or a red flag stoppage Barona Speedway uses a “Delaware restart” format in which the leader is lined up by himself and the remaining cars are lined up two-wide. Chavez was involved in third-lap contact which created a yellow flag. Finger inherited sixth place and began the Delaware restart alongside Aldridge.

Finger gained a position prior to the next yellow flag and began that restart alongside El Cajon driver Joe Malone. Finger passed Malone on the restart and then took over third place from Jessina. The next yellow flag created a restart with Finger alongside Norris, and Finger gained one more position before passing Villa for the lead later in the lap.

“Coming off of turn two he (Villa) slid up the track a little, but I got a very good run coming off the corner,” Finger said.

Finger then had to maintain his lead. “The car felt really good on the bottom, and that’s where I put it,” he said.

A yellow flag can be good or bad for a leader. His lead evaporates with the restart, and a third-place driver can move into second on that restart. A restart also eliminates lapped traffic which can impede a driver.

The first of two restarts after Finger took the lead placed Villa and Malone alongside each other in the next row. That restart also removed the lapped traffic. “It helped me out because I was able to regroup and get fine track in front of me,” Finger said.

Ramona’s Chris Evans moved into third prior to the final restart, so Evans and Villa were battling for second and the opportunity to catch Finger. “After the cautions I just went right to the bottom, and that is where the car wanted to hook,” Finger said.

The white flag signaling one lap remaining had already been thrown when a hard hit to Chavez’s car in turn four created the final yellow flag. The race was not restarted. Finger was declared the winner with Villa taking second and Evans finishing third.

Finger is sponsored by Black Widow Diesel, Bryans Racing Enterprises, Critical Hit Baits, DD West Race Wraps, Eric Crain Media, Heaven on Earth Family Child Care, La Finquita Racing, The Library Tavern, Mary Kay by Jenny Lee, Mike Charlton Racing, Mulvey Motorsports, SJ Towing, and Showtime Motorsports.

Ramona driver Brian Fitzgibbons, who is Finger’s uncle, won the IMCA Stock Cars main event April 27. Finger and Fitzgibbons had not previously won main events on the same night.

“It was very special,” Finger said. “It meant a lot after all the work he put into our car in the off-season.”

Joe Naiman