This time, James Finch wasn’t crying wolf.
On Wednesday, Finch finally sold Phoenix Racing after 23 seasons of competing in both NASCAR’s Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, according to the Panama City News Herald.
Although Finch would not confirm the buyer, sources say a corporation including Harry Scott, co-owner of Turner Scott Motorsports, is involved with the purchase.
Finch is expected to continue running the No. 51 Chevy team until the Chase begins. His last race is expected to be Sept. 7 at Richmond. With the exception of Watkins Glen, AJ Allmendinger will continue to drive the car before the transition.
Finch has provided opportunities for a lot of aspiring racers as well as veterans in the sunsets of their careers. Though Finch’s cars earned 13 wins in the Nationwide Series, his sole Sprint Cup victory came in the 2009 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway with Brad Keselowski behind the wheel. It was also Keselowski’s first Cup win.
“Anytime you win is special, but when you do it for a car owner and a driver for the first time it is kind of a double whammy,” said Keselowski, who now drives for Penske Racing. “That is partially why it is sad to see him go. That is a bond we will always share.”
“It is unfortunate to see because James has definitely played a role in the history — not just history, that probably isn’t the right word — but he has played a role in a lot of different things with the sport. Whether it was giving drivers opportunities on the front side or back side of their career or crew members of the same sort. Certainly he has a lot of crazy stories and a lot of fun things he has done, too, which add to some of the character of this sport. Not having him as a car owner, he will definitely be missed.”
