Jake Finch Claims Alabama 200 Victory for Ronnie Sanders Racing

Montgomery, Alabama (March 8, 2026) — Jake Finch (no. 18) and Ronnie Sanders Racing have already proven to be a winning combination at the Pro Late Model level, and the 62nd Annual Alabama 200 “Hunt for the Bear” presented by Chestnut Creek Materials and RM Motorsports proved to be a reminder of that fact.

Finch, the 2024 Show Me The Money Series champion and fast qualifier for the 62nd Annual Alabama 200, got off to a hot start. Despite the redraw placing him in fifth position to start the event, Finch propelled to the lead on Lap 24. After the midway point of the race, Finch found himself in second place and hunting down Tennessee driver Dylan Fetcho (no. 89), eventually passing Fetcho for the lead on Lap 152.

Varying pit strategies played into Finch’s favor, with some competitors banking on the last half of the race to feature one or more caution periods. Unfortunately for those competitors, a long green flag run would ensue. A late caution came out on Lap 195 for defending Alabama 200 winner John Bolen (no. 2), who fell off the pace and stalled on the entrance to pit road.

Two late-race restarts would not deter Finch, who held on to deliver Ronnie Sanders his sixth Alabama 200 victory. Sanders won two as a driver in 1976 and 1979, before claiming multiple victories as an owner with Casey Roderick (2017, 2018), Hunter Robbins (2022), and now Jake Finch.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Finch in victory lane. “It was fun. We had a really good race car, probably one of the best I’ve ever driven. Luckily, we got to put on a show. I’m super proud of everyone on this Ronnie Sanders team. I can’t thank them enough. It’s good to finally get this one. We had a good car last year and had some problems, and the year before we finished second.”

Lebanon, Tn. native Dylan Fetcho led 46 laps throughout the evening, but ultimately came up one spot short in second position.

“Long race,” said Fetcho. “We definitely had something figured out on that restart, went from sixth to first. I was pretty confident, and just lost the right-front again after that. Congrats to Jake, and thank you to all these people right here and my sponsors, of course. I think the falloff was two seconds. It’s definitely a tire-saving track. I don’t know, hopefully I made it interesting for y’all on that restart.”

Rounding out the podium in third place was Canadian driver Gage Gilby (no. 25), who made the long trip to Alabama from Nova Scotia.

“I’m really proud of our group today,” said Gilby. “We fought all day, the day didn’t go good at all at the start. Bruce and Tyler kept on me, and the boys in the pits put in the work.”

Presley Johnson’s no. 82 machine came home in the fourth position, with multi-time Show Me The Money champion Christopher Tullis (no. 12) rounding out the top five.

Action returns to Alabama’s House of Speed with the running of the March Madness Motor Classic on Saturday, March 28th. The night will feature Outlaw Late Models, Late Model Sportsmen, Street Stocks, and Crown Stocks. The next event for the Show Me The Money Pro Late Models is slated for May 2, 2026, with the running of the Spring Explosion 100.

62nd Annual Alabama 200 Results