Chad Finley, No. 30 Auto Value Parts Stores / Airlift Company Ford F-150
American Ethanol E15 225 Fast Facts
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race No. 16,
American Ethanol E15 225, Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Illinois
Race Information: Event: American Ethanol E15 225, Friday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. Local Time Track: Chicagoland Speedway Qualifying: Friday, September 18 at 3:35 p.m. Local Time Track Length: 1.5-mile paved oval.
Welcome Back: For the second time this season, Rette Jones Racing (RJR) invades the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWT) tour planning to make their second start of the year with Dewitt, Michigan-native Chad Finley at the helm. The team made their NCWTS debut last month at Michigan International Speedway.
Last Time Out: In his truck debut at his hometown track, Chad Finley and the Rette Jones Racing team unloaded a strong and competitive No. 30 Auto Value Parts Stores / Airlift Company Ford at Michigan International Speedway. The team qualified a solid 15th, but power steering issues during the 100-lap race hindered any opportunity of contending for the win. Still, after correcting the issue, the team and driver gained valuable experience in the Careers for Veterans 200.
Returning To The Windy City: While the Mooresville, North Carolina-based Rette Jones Racing (RJR) will make their NCWTS debut at Chicagoland Speedway Friday night, their driver is no stranger to the track’s 1.5-mile oval. In one of his 10 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards starts between 2009 and 2010, Finley raced at the track in an entry for Brad Keselowski in August 2010. He led three laps of 100 laps in the Ansell Protective Gloves 150 before late-race issues dealt a 23rd place finish.
Former Chicagoland Speedway Winner: While Finley is looking to become a surprise winner in Friday night’s race, Mark Rette, co-truck owner and crew chief of the No. 30 Auto Value Parts Stores / Airlift Company Ford is a former winner at the 1.5-mile speedway. In 2009, Rette led ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards driver Justin Lofton to one of his six victories that season and ultimately the 2009 championship.
Must Qualify On Time: Poised to make his NCWTS debut in the “Windy City” Friday night, the Rette Jones Racing driver must qualify his No. 30 Auto Value Parts Stores / Airlift Company Ford on time. With 34 trucks pre-entered for the event, the team must qualify 27th or better to earn a starting position by speed.
Sponsorship Lineup: In addition to Auto Value Parts Stores and Airlift Company serving as co-title sponsors for the 16th race of the season, Rette Jones Racing also welcomes Jones Group International, JAAR Excavating, Pro Systems, Goodridge Fluid Transfer Systems and Russo’s Tinting as associate marketing partners for the 150-lap race. RJR is co-owned by successful businessman and race car driver Terry Jones.
Chicagoland Speedway Fast Fact: On January 19, 1999, the Joliet city council unanimously approved the speedway to break ground. The speedway opened in 2011 and currently hosts NASCAR racing, including the opening event for this weekend’s Chase for the Sprint Cup. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the Verizon IndyCar Series. The track is home of the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and located adjacent to Route 66 Raceway.
Chassis Intel: Mark Rette, crew chief and co-owner of Rette Jones Racing has elected to bring chassis number 001 to the 1.5-mile paved oval this weekend. This Ford F-150 is appearing in its second race with RJR. This race chassis last competed in the NCWTS race at Michigan International Speedway in August, where Finley notched a 21st place finish after starting 15th.
Stay Social With Chad: Chad Finley is active on Twitter. You can follow and tweet with him @Chad_Finley. His team, Rette Jones Racing is also active on Twitter. Follow them @RetteJones30.
Rette Jones Racing, Chicagoland Speedway, Pre-Race Quotes:
Chad Finley, driver of the No. 30 Auto Value Parts Stores / Airlift Company Ford F-150:
On Michigan International Speedway Debut: “Michigan was such a heart breaker to me personally. We had such a good No. 30 Auto Value Parts Stores / Airlift Company Ford on Saturday afternoon and I’m so proud of Mark Rette, Steve Keller and all the guys on the Rette Jones Racing team.
“After overcoming our issues at the start of the race, we battled back to the top-15 when more problems developed. Leaving pit road we lost power steering.
“We tried to fix it under caution, but couldn’t get it fixed. It made the truck really difficult to drive and we finally got it fixed under green (flag conditions), but the damage was done. We were four laps down. I just hate it for our sponsors and my guys. We had such high hopes and truly thought we could run in the top-eight. Unfortunately, we will never know and just try to turn our luck around in Chicagoland. There’s no quit in our team.”
On Chicagoland Speedway: “We’re anxious to get to Chicagoland Speedway for a lot of reasons. We’ve been working hard on our No. 30 Auto Value Parts Stores / Airlift Company Ford over the past couple of weeks to get ready for Friday night’s race.
“It’s going to be a competitive race for sure and we want to do everything we can to make sure we’re in contention. I’m not worried about having to qualify for the race, we should be plenty fast, but what we’re focused on is making sure our truck is well balanced for the race.
“We’ll practice in the day, but race at night. Mark has some ideas to compensate for that an I have the faith in him and this team that we’ll be in good shape once the green flag waveson Friday night.”
Rette Jones Racing, Chicagoland Speedway, Pre-Race Quotes:
Mark Rette, mentor and co-owner of the No. 30 Auto Value Parts Stores / Airlift Company Ford F-150:
On Michigan International Speedway Debut: “I’m proud of Chad and everyone on this Rette Jones Racing team. We made some huge strides, even if we didn’t get the finish we were looking for. We unloaded solid and proved that we belong in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. We’ll be better this weekend than we were in Michigan.”
On Outlook Chicagoland Speedway: “We’re expecting to be fast and I think Chad will adapt to the track quickly. He hasn’t been there since 2010, but I think we’ll unload with a setup that he’ll be comfortable with and one that we can fine tune to his liking.
“It’s a 150-lap race, so we can’t lay back for long, but we’re going to do our best to get ourselves a top-10 finish to make up for what happened at Michigan.”
PRIOR RESULTS:
Chad Finley, Chicagoland Speedway NCWTS Performance Record:
Chad Finley will make his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, no prior starts.
The American Ethanol E15 225 (150 laps / 225 miles) is the 16th of 23 races on the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule. The lone practice session of the day begins on Friday, September 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day at 3:35 p.m. The 32-truck starting field will take the green flag shortly after 7:30 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90. All times are local (Central).
Fast Links:
Driver: Chad Finley on Twitter @Chad_Finley.
Team: Rette Jones Racing on Twitter @RetteJones30.
Sanction: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: NASCAR.com
