Finch signs Stremme full-time for 2004

RICHMOND, Va. -- James Finch liked enough of what he saw from David Stremme in a part-time role this season to make him the full-time driver next season.

Stremme, 26, of South Bend, Ind., will drive Finch's No. 1 Yellow Dodges for the full, 34-race 2004 NASCAR Busch Series schedule.

	David Stremme

"He's run fairly good but he's got a long way to go on learning some stuff," Finch said of Stremme. "But he's got the talent, I think that will take him there."

The move, which Finch revealed last weekend at Richmond International Raceway, consummated a desire the longtime owner had expressed at the beginning of the season, to run a single driver for the championship.

Finch and racing magnate Chip Ganassi put together a deal through which several drivers affiliated with Ganassi would drive Finch's potent No. 1 cars. In the end, Ganassi's Winston Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year point leader Jamie McMurray and Stremme have split the season.

The No. 1 Dodge, which has also split sponsorship between Yellow and the Miccosukee Indian Gaming Group; is currently seventh in the owner standings.

	James Finch

"Usually you don't worry about (winning) the championship in Busch because if you do, somebody will get your driver if you win the damn thing," Finch said. "They'll come up with more money and then you've lost all that you've invested (in developing a driver).

"That's why I've not really paid that much attention to the championship. But I've done this deal with Chip and we're grooming his drivers, so it's not like I'm losing anybody."

"I am pretty excited," said Stremme, who has two top-five and five top-10 finishes in his first 10 career Busch Series starts. "This year has just been a building year, to gain the experience."

Finch and his team have undergone a move from its longtime base in Lynn Haven, Fla., to the Carolinas. A number of crewmen left at that time and so that added to the building process, Stremme said.

"It's a great organization to be with to learn," Stremme said, "because they've had a lot of great drivers in their cars, with a lot of experience."