Edward Finger closed out the 2024 Barona Speedway season with his tenth Pure Stocks main event win of the year, and the Murrieta driver placed third in the division’s final season points standings.
“This one means a lot,” Finger said of his October 26 main event win.
Tom Henkel was the Barona Speedway fire captain. “He’s known me since before I was born,” said the 23-year-old Finger.
Henkel passed away October 12 at the age of 73. Finger dedicated his win to Henkel. “This one’s pretty special,” Finger said.
In an effort to avoid season championships being decided by slower cars ahead of the drivers in contention starts for the October 26 heat races were based on the point standings. The Pure Stocks had four heat races and the top four drivers in the standings entering the final night began those eight-lap heats on the pole. Finger was in the third heat race and began on the pole with El Cajon driver Austin Seuferer, who would end the night with division Rookie of the Year honors, starting on the outside of the front row. Finger gained the initial lead and maintained first for the remainder of the race with Seuferer finishing second and Jesse Collier of Ramona taking third.
“Started on the pole, it went caution-free, and I was able to win it,” Finger said.
Between the heat race and the main Finger and his crew made no mechanical changes to the 1979 Chevrolet Caprice he races.
The two drivers ahead of Finger in the points standings, Descanso’s Jimmy Villa and Ramona’s Chris Evans, also won their heat races after beginning on the pole. El Cajon driver Joe Malone, who was fourth in the standings, began his heat race on the pole although Julian resident and current Purdue University motorsports engineering major Robby Norris returned to San Diego County for the season’s final night and won that heat race.
The Pure Stocks had 24 drivers October 26, so the top three in each heat race advanced to the main event while a B main was held for the other 12 drivers with eight of those transferring to the feature. Lakeside’s Cody Parenteau won the B main.
Villa began the 20-lap main on the pole, Evans started on the outside of the front row, Finger was on the inside of the second row, and Norris took the original green flag on the outside of the second row. Villa led after the first lap while Finger was in second.
“I didn’t think I had anything for him at first,” Finger said. “I could stay with him.”
Early in the race Finger was able to move alongside Villa on the outside. “I moved up about half a line off the bottom,” Finger said. “I got to the inside of him and I was able to drive it in a car length deeper.”
A yellow flag caution was thrown. A “Delaware restart” placed Villa in the front with the other drivers two-wide, so Evans and Finger were in the second row.
“I had him passed and then the caution came out. I had to do it all over again,” Finger said.
Finger was subsequently able to move alongside Villa on the outside and take the lead coming out of turn 4. Being in front allowed Finger to choose his part of the track. “We found our line on the bottom,” he said.
Barona Speedway is a quarter-mile dirt oval. Finger also had to work with the various turns in the track. “One and two I felt like I had more traction, but I felt more steady in three and four,” he said.
The track is watered during intermission to reduce dust. That moisture evaporated during the races prior to the Pure Stocks. “Super dry by the time we rolled up,” Finger said.
Evans had been third after one lap but was experiencing turning problems in his 1976 Chevrolet Camaro, and Norris took over third place following the next yellow flag and Delaware restart. Ramona’s Randy Aldridge finished fourth, Malone was fifth, and Evans settled for sixth place.
Villa won the season championship with 531 position points. Evans was second with 522 points. Finger accumulated 504 points. Malone took fourth with 476 points.
The tenth win of the season was more meaningful to Finger than third in the final points standings. “We came out this year with a mentality of getting trophies,” he said. “That was our goal, and we achieved that.”
Villa, Evans, and Finger also took first through third respectively in the 2023 points standings. (El Cajon driver Rusty Staley was fourth last year; this year Staley was the Rookie of the Year in the IMCA Hobby Stocks class and was fourth in that division’s points standings. Malone was fifth in the 2023 Pure Stocks standings.) In 2022 Finger raced in the IMCA Sport Compact division and won that track championship.
Joe Naiman can be reached via email at jnaiman@reedermedia.com.
