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Chad Finley was going to win the Snowball Derby.

Having led the most laps and then pulling ahead on a restart with 32 laps remaining, there was little doubt that the race was his to lose. In fact, he didn’t lose the Snowball Derby, but rather, the achievement was painstakingly taken away thanks to a failed alternator 19 circuits from the finish.

The entire ordeal left him heartbroken.

“The alternator broke and stopped charging the battery and unfortunately there wasn’t enough voltage to power the distributor and the ignition system,” Finley said. “The motor started to act up the yellow before we dropped out and I knew I was in trouble before our final restart.

“It’s just really heartbreaking for myself and my team. We had put so much effort and money into this race and to have a $300 part strip us of over $22,000 is a tough pill to swallow.”

Finley, considered a mid-tier contender against the likes of Kyle Busch Motorsports, NEMCO Motorsports and David Gilliland Racing has been amongst the most consistent drivers over his first four Snowball Derby efforts. He entered last week believing this was his best shot yet, backed it up on Tuesday, and then was left ‘humbled’ when he was denied despite not turning a wheel wrong.

“To be staring the Tom Dawson Memorial Trophy right in the eyes and have it torn away from us is something I will never forget,” Finley said. “This sport has a way of humbling people very quickly. I felt the highest of highs and the lowest of lows within about two minutes of each other. I’ve never felt so empty but yet grateful at the same time.

“This one will hurt for a long time. That’s three prestigious races now that we should of won with the Rattler 250 in 2013, The All American 400 in 2015, and now the Snowball Derby.”

Finley didn’t win but earned the hard-luck adoration and sympathy from much of the industry. Several NASCAR notables such as Shane Huffman, Chris Wright, Jeriod Prince and Charles Lewandowski all reached out to congratulate the driver on his effort even if he came up short.

While it wasn’t the ultimate goal, the long-time short tracker and NASCAR veteran saw a positive from how everything played out.

“In this sport you always have to fight to stay relevant and earn respect from the media and your peers,” Finley said. “Hopefully we were able to gain some of that relevance and respect back last night.”

Between the near-win and the outpouring of support, Finley found his sense of resolve strengthened rather than fractured. He can think of no better way than returning to Five Flags Speedway next December and winning the 50th annual Snowball Derby.

“You’re always going to wonder what could have been,” Finley said. “That’s just how this race is. I can think of so many great race car drivers whom have tried so many times and have yet to break through. I’m not going to worry if this is as good as it gets for us because I feel like this is who we are — me and my team.

“We had a car capable of winning last year and broke a motor. We aren’t ever at the top of every practice because we don’t play the tire game. It doesn’t pay to win the practices it pays to win the race and that’s what we focus on when we come down to the Derby. If you look over the last four years you’ll see a trend with speeds in the final Saturday practice and we are always in the top eight every year. That’s the practice that counts. I believe we can come back stronger next year and contend for the Tom Dawson Trophy yet again.”

Matt Weaver is the owner and founder of Short Track Scene. Weaver grew up in the sport, having raced himself before becoming a reporter in college at the University of South Alabama. He also has extensive experience covering NASCAR, IndyCar and Dirt Sprint Cars.

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