TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Jake Finch led from start to finish to capture the ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday.
The 18-year-old Floridian started from the pole and never relinquished the lead over 76 laps in the No. 20 Toyota, earning his first ARCA Menards Series victory.
Finch stayed at the front of a five-car train to the finish line, holding off Kris Wright by 0.184 seconds. Tanner Gray finished third, followed by Gus Dean and Christian Rose.
The top four were all driving Toyotas, while Rose was in a Ford.
“We executed the best we could,” said Finch, who was joined in the celebration by his father, former NASCAR team owner James Finch. “Obviously, we had a really good car. We were fortunate to start up front and control the race from there.”
The only time the younger Finch slipped up was attempting a burnout in front of the main stands.
“That was terrible burnout,” he conceded. “I tried, but I’m not too experienced at it yet.”
The ARCA race was one of two prelims to the NASCAR Cup race Sunday at the 2.66-mile trioval in east Alabama. It was followed Saturday by an Xfinity Series event.
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