Frank Kimmel Hopes to Gain Ground at Toledo

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (September 9, 2010) – Fresh tire marks on the door, loud cheers from the grandstands, confetti stuck to the hood, teammates showering you with champagne, family and friends posing for photos holding number ones up, wearing a bright purple Hoosier Collar around the neck – all visions of victory lane on September 13, 2008. That day was rich with memories of Frank Kimmel’s last ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards victory lane experience.
On that faithful day, if someone were to say that it would be almost two years before the nine-time ARCA Racing Series Champion would repeat that experience, many would not believe it.  After all, he had been victorious every season since 1995; he was riding a string of three-straight victories and had won eight-consecutive ARCA Racing Series championships. As the green flag drops for the Northwest Ohio Ford Dealers 200 at Toledo Speedway on Sunday, September 12, Kimmel and his No. 44 Ansell/Menards team will be looking to end the winless streak and return to victory lane one day before the two-year anniversary of that win.
Getting to victory lane at Toledo Speedway is nothing new for Frank Kimmel.  After earning his first-career ARCA Racing series win at the half-mile track in 1994, he went on to visit victory lane eight more times becoming the most prolific driver in Toledo Speedway history.  In addition to his nine wins, Kimmel has earned 22 top-five finishes and three pole awards in 30-career starts at the track.
“Toledo is the site of our very first win, so it is a great place for us to come back to,” said Kimmel.  “I’ve always enjoyed Toledo.  We normally run well there and get good finishes; we have had a lot of success there with wins too.  Although the car that we are bringing is predominantly an intermediate car, I think it will be one of the best cars we have ever brought to Toledo.  The body on it is really slick and it’s a very nice racecar.  It weighs out well. I have a lot of confidence going into Toledo.  I think we will run well and be very competitive.”
The road to victory lane will begin for Kimmel on Saturday, as the ARCA Racing Series takes to the track for practice starting at 12:30 p.m. EST. Sunday’s 100-mile/200-lap Northwest Ohio Dealers at Toledo Speedway is set to begin at 2:00 p.m. EST.  Live timing and scoring and audio coverage will be provided by ARCA Nation and the ARCA Racing Network at ARCARacing.com. BAS Racing Network (radio) and BCSN (TV) will also host live race coverage.
 “Kimmel’s Top 10”
In anticipation of his 10th Championship, Frank Kimmel gives a look at his “Top 10” before each ARCA Racing Series event.  Frank Kimmel has had a lot of support along his way to nine ARCA Racing Series championships. This week Kimmel gives us a look at the “top-10 most influential people in his career.”
10. Uncle Paul- In the early days Uncle Paul took me to almost every single ARCA race that I competed at. Whatever it took to get me to the track, he did it.  He would buy our hotel rooms, pay travel expenses and help out every way he could. Without him we would not have been able to go ARCA Racing at all.
9.  Jack Wallace- Wally actually gave me my very first ARCA car in 1990.  We used that car to win Rookie of the Year in 1992.  Wally was a long-time ARCA Racer who saw some potential and decided to let me have his racecar.  He is the man that gave me my start in ARCA.
8.  Larry Clement- Larry was my long-time car owner.  He really enabled us to win as many ARCA races and championships as we did because of his guidance and support.
7.  Buddy Rouck – He was the first guy that I teamed up with.  We co-owned my first late model together and won two championships with it in the late 80’s. He is also Holly’s godfather.
6.  Dick Schroeder – I worked for him for a while.  He was the owner of C-Line Engineering.  He really helped me to become a better racer and a better mechanic in my early career.
5.  Terry Shirley – Became my car owner in 1989.  We won the Late Model championship in 1990, and he gave me my start in early years of ARCA Racing.
4.  Donna Kimmel – She is my wife and the person that has kept my life together while I have been doing all this racing.  She’s been very supportive of me and raised Holly and Frankie while I was away at the track.
3.  Bill Kimmel Jr. – Bill was a good driver before he became my crew chief. He won four-straight championships at Louisville Motor Speedway.  He has also been crew chief of the year in the ARCA Series eight times and been with me for eight of my nine championships. 
2.  Mable Kimmel – Mable is both my and Bill’s mom.  She was a true racer’s wife.  Mom always supported our dad no matter what he decided to do in racing. Howard while battling for the lead sent Frank and “Daisy” spinning, ultimately destroying the car.
1.  Bill Kimmel Sr. – He is my and Bill’s father.  He started racing in 1948 and taught us most of what we know about racecars.
Frank Kimmel and the No. 44 Ansell/Menards Fast Facts
Battle for first:  After bad luck plagued the Ansell/Menards team at DuQuoin, Kimmel fell to fourth in the championship standings.  He now sits 50 markers behind leaders Tom Hessert and Patrick Sheltra, who are tied for first.
Last Toledo Race:  In the spring event at Toledo Speedway, Kimmel overcame late-race damage to score a fourth-place finish.  The finish began his climb in the ARCA Racing point standings and was his best finish in the early part of the season.
This Week’s Ford:  Crew Chief, Bill Kimmel Jr., has chosen to bring chassis No. 340, “Courtney” to Toledo.  This chassis, an intermediate track chassis, has not been used yet this season. With both short track cars wrecked after the dirt races at Springfield and DuQuoin, Kimmel Racing has called on “Courtney” to bring them to victory lane.
Meet Frank Kimmel:  Kimmel will be signing autographs on the front stretch of Toledo Speedway on Sunday, September 12 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. 
Featured Blogger:  Want to hear what Kimmel has to say about each race weekend?  Log on to http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/ every week to read Frank’s latest driver diary.  He talks about what happened in the race, what he does when he is not at the track and his expectations for the next race weekend.
Follow Frank Kimmel: Follow Frank Kimmel at the track or in the race shop by logging on to facebook.com/frankkimmelracing and twitter.com/frankkimmel. Follow every race weekend for live updates and photos from the track and throughout the race. 
2010 STATS

 StartsWinsPolesTop 5sTop 10sAve StartAve FinishPts. Pos./Prev
Frank Kimmel16017119.48.24/2

About Frank Kimmel
Frank Kimmel, driver in the ARCA Racing Series Presented by RE/MAX and Menards, is a record holding 9-time champion. Co-owner of Kimmel Racing, the Indiana native has earned 74 wins, placing him just six races shy of the number one spot on ARCA’s all-time win list. With 44 poles, 230 top-five and 294 top-ten finishes, the racing veteran has accomplished many great feats in his 18 seasons in the series. Kimmel and the Ansell/Menards Ford team look to continue to break records in the 2010 season.
About Activ8 Communications

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